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Punjab govt decides to file case against PDM leaders for violating Covid SOPs

report in Pakistan Today, Dec 2, 2020
In light of the failure of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to follow the coronavirus guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs), as well as incidents of vandalism, during the Multan rally, the Punjab government has decided to file a case against the anti-government alliance.

”Among the organisers, 22 belong to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), 16 to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), and 13 are of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F),” said Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Awan while addressing a press conference, adding that cases will be filed against as of yet unidentified persons as well.

She said that PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman gave sticks to the workers for clashing with the police but the government acted consciously instead of overzealously.

Further criticising Fazl, she said the Parliament does not function to satisfy an individual’s desires. “When they bring the no-confidence motion, we will see then […] For now, these are blackmailing techniques.”

The special assistant claimed that the fire which had erupted at the start of PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s speech was due to a party worker’s fireworks.

Talking about the incident of arson during the Multan rally, she said that a case has been registered against former PML-N MPA Shahid on the complaint of the owner of the cardboard warehouse.

In response to the opposition’s claims of success at the rally, the special assistant said that the drone footage had been used in a way to make it seem like more people were present than there actually were.

Soon after her press conference, the Multan police announced that they had registered cases against organisers of the rally.

A day earlier, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) government has registered a first information report (FIR) against the newly-formed alliance of 11 opposition parties for holding an anti-government rally on November 22 despite a ban imposed against it by the administration.

The FIR was registered against the five district leaders of the PDM by the provincial authorities after Prime Minister Imran Khan had blamed the rally behind the spike in the number of coronavirus cases and deaths.

https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/12/01/punjab-govt-decides-to-file-case-against-pdm-leaders-for-violating-covid-sops/