PML-N cancels rally to join million march

By Qamar Jabbar

LAHORE: The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) has cancelled its anti-war rally scheduled for March 21 and decided to support the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal’s million march in the provincial capital on March 23, sources told Daily Times on Thursday.

They said the PML-N was not in a position to gather hundreds and thousands of people for the rally to express solidarity with the Iraqi people so the party’s provincial leadership decided in a meeting to join the MMA march to express their feelings on Iraq.

Most of the PML-N district presidents in Punjab had also informed the party’s provincial leadership that it was difficult for them to even bring a small procession from their relevant districts to participate in the Lahore rally. The local leadership said the district administration would not allow them to march towards Lahore.

Sources further said that after observing a ‘condemnation day’ against the US policy on Iraq on February 28, the PML-N leadership had conceded that their show on March 21 would also be a flop so they had decided to join the MMA march.

After being apprised of the partymen’s apprehensions, the PML-N leaders — Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa, Khawaja Saad Rafique and Haji Imdad Hussain – had contacted MMA’s leaders Liaqat Baloch, Hafiz Salman Butt and Farid Paracha and informed them that the PML-N was ready to support the religious alliance while canceling its own rally, party sources said.

The PML-N leaders said since the MMA also had the same policies on a looming US-led war on Iraq, both should join hands in this regard. While welcoming the PML-N decision, the MMA leaders said they would also allow the Leaguers to address the march participants.

Who asked whom: When contacted, Secretary Information PML-N Punjab Zaeem Qadri said the MMA leadership had requested the PML-N to join the religious alliance’s march instead of taking out their own rally.

However, Liaqat Baloch told Daily Times that PML-N leaders had approached the MMA and expressed their willingness to join the march. “We did not request the PML-N to cancel its rally and join ours. “The MMA is more than capable of gathering one million marchers in Lahore — we have already done that in Karachi and Rawalpindi,” he said.

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