Imran Khan and Asif Ali Zardari will not share a stage on Wednesday, courtesy their common friend Dr Tahir ul Qadri, but their parties are sharing common ground, both literally and physically, as the area between Lahore’s Charing Cross and Faisal Chowk transformed into a political stage in a matter of hours.
Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) Chairman Dr Tahuir ul Qadri announced in a presser that they would start the demonstration at noon tomorrow, where he will be joined by Pakistan Tehrik i Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan and later, PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.
While the two rivals in the opposition will not appear together, it was confirmed that they will use the same platform for addressing their supporters by taking turns.
Preparations
A large stage adjacent to WAPDA house decked with sound systems was all set up and tested. Organisers said that the preparations would go on well into the night to avoid any possible untowards incident.
The demonstration is expected to be a big one with seating arrangements for protestors stretching all the way down Mall Road.
The entire landscape of the area was transformed as welcome banners were pinned on ever possible location. It made for strange bedfellows indeed as the area transformed into a flurry of read, white and green in varying combinations.PTI, PAT, PPP, and PML-Q banners overlapped and fought for dominance right under the nose of the main posters on the stage which, ironically, read “All parties, one demand . . . Justice Justice Justice.”
And while all the parties participating in the event may indeed have the same demand, justice for the death of PAT workers in Model Town and the subsequent demand that the Punjab Government step down, they are nowhere near being on the same page.
While earlier suggestions that another stage would be set-up for Imran Khan have been rubbished by now, the point of who appear when could very well become contentious.
Political temperature
Meanwhile, the political temperature has not risen particularly as of yet, with only a token number of workers from each political party present on the occasion. Most of these too belonged to the PPP and had arrived from outside of Lahore ready to start the demonstrations which Dr Tahir ul Qadri has announced for noon on Wednesday.
Despite the low turnout in the night, it was already clear that the Punjab Government’s code of conduct asking that there be no hooliganism and no businesses be forced to close down because of the protest will not be met.
Already the historic Shah Din Manzil near Faisal Chowk has been defaced and vandalised with spray paints bearing the name of the PPP’s People’s Youth Organisation, which read “Long live Bilawal.”
Traffic and commercial activities
The conditions that businesses remain closed by the government is also unlikely to be met as most commercial activity shut down to allow the loud progression of preparations. Traffic also remained clogged in the area for hours, with anything coming from the Mall Road side completely blocked. The closure of roads for the OLMT project only added to the grievances of commuters.
The subsequent traffic mess meant that Queen’s Road remained blocked for hours, and divergent traffic resulted in bumper to bumper movement on Jail road and Ferozpur Road. While the jams cleared out by evening, Wednesday is expected to be a much heavier day when large amounts of political workers start filing in.
The fact that tomorrow is a week day will only add to the already terrible traffic situation in the city, especially this area, but traffic officials have said that they will come armed with a plan and their officers will work over time to assist commuters.