Daily Times

LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) organised a big public meeting at Charring Cross on The Mall in the Punjab capital on Sunday.

Full of colours, entertainment and energy, thousands of people, including women and children, participated in the rally despite 43-degree temperature in the city. The enthusiastic followers of the PTI remained on The Mall from 3:00pm until late night. The Mall, Davis Road, Queens Road, Hall Road and all link roads were decorated with PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s posters inscribed with anti-corruption slogans and party flags.

The PTI set up an 80 feet wide and 17 feet high stage at Charring Cross, in front of the Punjab Assembly and made seating arrangements for more than 20,000 workers. The chairs were placed on the road from Charring Cross to Regal Chowk. The police and the local administration set up four points to allow people entry to the PTI gathering. There were separate entry points for men, women and children, VIPs and media persons. VIPs were given entry from the Lahore Zoo side, media persons from the Punjab Assembly side, men from the Lahore High Court side and women and children from the Charring Cross side.

Besides 80 closed-circuit televisions, 400 floodlights and 300 loudspeakers were installed at the venue of the PTI public meeting. A 14 feet wide LED screen was also installed for the participants.

It is pertinent to mention here that this time Wali Sons instead of Butt performed as DJ at the PTI public meeting. Butt worked with the PTI as DJ for several years. A fence of barbed wire was set up between the places earmarked for women and men at the venue of the PTI meeting keeping in view the mismanagement at the last meeting of the party.

As usual, PTI’s Sunday event was full of entertainment. The event started with a performance by renowned singer Salman Ahmad followed by Asad Khattak and Atta Ullah Esakhelvi. All these singers sang national and party songs. Renowned singer Abrar-ul-Haq also performed at the end of the public meeting.

Prior to the public meeting, the PTI held rallies across the city. PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi led a rally in Shahdara, Shafqat Mahmood in Gulberg and Chaudhry Sarwar in Ichhra.

Earlier, PTI leader Jahangir Tareen told the media that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was trying to twist the facts about the Panama leaks under his party’s pressure. He said that he was being criticised for keeping offshore companies, but he had already declared all his assets, including his offshore companies, to the Election Commission of Pakistan. He said that anyone could compare the tax paid by him and the Sharif family.

PTI leader Aleem Khan said he owned flats abroad and challenged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to declare their assets.