*Party selects 16 points for shutting down city
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers and supporters staged on Saturday an awareness and mobilisation rally for the Lahore shutdown on the Mall Road, scheduled for December 15.
Around 100 protesters gathered at the Charing Cross outside the Punjab Assembly, where they had temporarily blocked the road and chanted ‘Go Nawaz Go’ slogans.
PTI Punjab president Ejaz Chauhdry led the convoy with PTI General Secretary Dr Yasmin Rashid and PTI Punjab Information Secretary Andleeb Abbas, which made way for traders and also visited traders inside their shops.
The rally eventually divided into several groups, and entered different bazaars on the Mall road.
Traders at the Regal Plaza also chanted ‘Go Nawaz Go’ along with PTI supporters during the rally. Police were escorting the rally as it was on the move on the Mall Road.
The rally entered the Panorama Shopping Centre to gather support as well but was asked not to proceed further into the shopping centre.
Meanwhile, PTI has selected 16 venues in the city for shutting down the provincial metropolis tomorrow as part of its country wide protest.
Khan will visit 6 places during the blockage of the city and will address party workers at the Mall Road.
PTI has selected sites of Shahdara, Bhatti chowk, Shah Alam circular road, PMG Chowk, Baboo Saboo, Mall road, GT road, Shalimar, Mughalpura, Bhatta chowk, Liberty market, Akbar chowk, Thokar Niaz Baig, Chungi Amar Sadhu, Bhakiwal More, Mazang Chungi and High Court Chowk to paralyse the city.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has decided to set up a control room to monitor how the events unfold on Dec 15. Political, administrative as well as police high command will monitor the provincial metropolis throughout the day and issue directions on the spot if any untoward situation develops during the protest.
“We’re not taking the strike call casually,” a PML-N leader said, adding “for the extraordinary situation we’re also making extraordinary preparations.”
Besides already installed CCTV cameras, administrations of various towns have been directed to increase the number of devices to have a minute-by-minute report of different areas for the control room.
