FAISALABAD: Ignoring the restriction on public gatherings imposed by the Election Commission of Pakistan, the PML-N mayor group led by Sher Ali, father of State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali, will organise a gathering on Thursday (today) at the Dhobi Ghat ground.

District Coordination Officer Noorul Ameen Mengal said they would organise a workers convention.

“We have not given them the permission and we are seeking clarification from the election commission about it,” the DCO claimed.

However, District Returning Officer Abdul Razzaq in the letter sent to the DCO on Sunday last categorically said: “As per sub-para 1 of para 2 of the code of conduct for local government elections 2015 in Punjab issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan, Islamabad, that no public meeting or procession can be held by the candidate except corner meetings subject to the prior information to the local administration for security purpose.”

Without obtaining any permission, arrangements for the gathering were afoot at the venue till the filing of this report on Wednesday night.

Dhobi Ghat is a major place in Faisalabad where various prime ministers including Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif had addressed huge gatherings.

Ali group has also placed more than 10,000 chairs and installed a sound system along the boundary of the ground.

Sources told Dawn that Ali had been requested repeatedly by the district administration officials that public gatherings were banned by the ECP, however, Ali insisted that he would organise ‘workers convention’ and not a public gathering.

They said the PML-N leadership had also tried its level best to dissuade Sher Ali from conducting the public gathering, but he refused to cancel the gathering and assured them that he would not utter any word against the top leadership.

Anjuman-i-Tajran City Faisalabad President Shahid Razzaq Saka and Secretary Mahmood Alam said traders would actively participate in the ‘workers convention’.

Alam said political crisis erupted in Faisalabad as parliamentarians did not award tickets ‘fairly’. He said a number of loyal workers were ignored.

Police sources said gathering by the Mayor group was creating problems for them.

They said on the one hand force was busy in election-related security arrangements and on the other officials were on tenterhooks regarding sudden security steps for the public meeting.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2015

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