Since it isn’t possible not to compare the two rallies in Lahore (the one yesterday and the one on Sunday) comparisons of the specific mechanics of the two conventions are also impossible to avoid. Many comments on the choice of venues.
Imran Khan’s PTI has chosen the Minto Park, a venue that would take a huge crowd to fill up or, more importantly, create the camera-friendly impression of being filled up. The PML(N), on the other hand, chose to take out a procession from Nasir Bagh towards the Bhaati Gate in the walled city. Not spacious avenues, the latter; even smallish crowds appear to be much larger than they are. Could this be attributed to a better grasp of the optical illusions narrow streets can yield by the older party? Maybe. But it isn’t as if the League should have any insecurities. As opposed to the PTI, it is a cadre-based party, the wheels of whose machine start whirring whenever there is a rally to get people to and when – infinitely more importantly – there are votes that need to be cast. And this is Lahore, which bleeds the League shade of green.
As expected, it was an enormous rally, replete with the impromptu dances, sloganeering and – the League’s perennial fetish – lions. If the purpose was to dispel any possible impression – found more in the commentariat than the realpolitik of the constituencies itself – that the party is going to be overrun by the new challenger, it was more than served. The jostle for crowds, of course, is not a zero-sum game; it is possible for the PTI’s rally, despite its taller order, to be successful.
The chief minister’s speech itself was in very bad taste. For a sitting provincial chief executive to talk of lynchings taking place in the future in that very same venue was unseemly.
As was discussed previously in this very space, successful rallies do not a successful polling campaign make. That will depend on a lot of variables, most of which are in great flux if we accept the still-valid assumption of the polls being a good two years away. That is a political lifetime away.
It is being reported by several news outlets that there were 30,000 people, that is not a huge or massive crowd (considering the eight million population of Lahore).
@Guest—The rally could not be held because all the road space between Secretariat to Bhatti Chowk and beyond was chocker block full of men, women and even children. This was definitely a lot more than what you state. It was between 90,000 to 150,000 roughly. A lot of rallies were held up because there was no space left for any more people.
yes.. I was hearing about 100000 crowd will come… 100000 will come……. lolz……. PTI gathered more than this on 14th August sit in outside parliament house,. And the enthusiasm was just great. It were like the scenes of quaid-e-azam's jalsas and all this despite after 16 hour long roza….Revolution has begun!!!!
I appeal to all humanitarian activist, civil defense personnels, students, professionals and all my patriot Pakistanis to come to Jalsa and support Imran's cause of nation building.
Insha Allah we (I with my friends) are going to join him tomorrow at his rally in Minar e Pakistan. He is the only man who felt the pain of Drone Victims- our Pashtun Brothers. Punjab being the elder brother and I as a Punjabi, feel my moral duty and Jihad to join PTI in this gathering. It is a Jihad against drones, corruption and biased rulers (especially PPP and PMLN).
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