The government is using all tactics to gather maximum number of people for a public meeting that would be addressed by President General Pervez Musharraf at historic Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi on Tuesday. The City Government, Rawalpindi, is making all-out efforts to make the public meeting a success, no matter how many people go through immense difficulties and miseries.
One side, the city government has announced public holiday on March 27 to ensure maximum participation of government employees at the meeting. Traffic police has been given the task to arrange private vans to bring people from far-flung areas.
On Sunday, it was widely observed that commuters of the twin cities faced severe problems due to inhuman treatment of traffic police who were forcibly stopping the outstation vans near Islamabad Airport.
According to a survey conducted by Business Recorder, a large number of policemen were standing at Islamabad Airport bus stop and all public vans were being stopped there.
Police officials were getting everybody out of the vehicles and vans were being forcibly locked. When asked, a policeman told this correspondent that they had been directed to arrange at least 1000 vans to bring people from Murree, Gujar Khan, Mandra and other nearby areas in the public meeting, to be addressed by President General Pervez Musharraf, at Liaquat Bagh.
The commuters were facing great difficulties, particularly on the Islamabad Highway where they were compelled to hire taxies after waiting for hours there.
There were numerous cases of misbehaviour between policemen and people who were disturbed over the situation.
Sources said that government employees, particularly teachers in Rawalpindi, were strictly asked to attend the public meeting that would also be attended by Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi.
It is to be mentioned here that Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) has also announced to hold protest rally in Rawalpindi on Monday, and scores of political workers have been reportedly detained.
An ARD leader said that law enforcement agencies have arrested scores of prominent political figures and party workers in the twin cities, under section 144.
He alleged that the Liaquat Bagh area, where the President is scheduled to hold the public meeting, is exempt from section 144.
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