Shahbaz booked for holding rally at Mall Road in violation of a court order

Leader of Opposition in Pakistan's National Assembly and PML-N chief Shahbaz Sharif, along with over 2,000 party workers, was on Friday booked by the Lahore Police for holding an anti-government rally on the Mall road in violation of a high court order. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders and workers took out a rally chanting "go Imran go" to observe 'Black Day' on Thursday, the day when Prime Minister Imran Khan government completed its one year in power.

Around 50 leaders and lawmakers of PML-N and PPP, along with 2,000 party workers, were booked for holding the rally on Lahore's Mall Road on Thursday evening in 'violation of the court's order', officials said. The Lahore High Court has banned holding of rallies on the Mall Road, a busy business area of the city.

The Opposition leaders were booked for disrupting the public order, violating the prohibitory orders and causing harm to the public property, they said. Early this week, police booked PML-N vice president and daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and over 3,000 party workers for delivering speeches against the Khan government in a rally in Faisalabad city, about 130 kms from Lahore.

The opposition parties allege that on this day (July 25) last year the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was installed through a stolen public mandate and a selected prime minister was imposed on the country. Wearing black arm band and black dress, a large number of workers of the two main Opposition parties from across Punjab province gathered to mark the 'Black Day'.

They chanted 'go Imran go' slogans and accused the PTI government of unprecedented price hike, inflation and joblessness. They also demanded release of their leaders which they claimed were imprisoned in false cases. Rallies were also held in Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta on Thursday.

Reacting to the government's move, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Auranzeb said: "The fascist government of Imran Khan does not believe in free speech. Khan ordered registration of FIRs against the opposition leaders and workers after seeing the success of opposition's rallies in the country against the 'selected and puppet' government." Slamming the government over the "unprecedented curbs on media", she said "This is due to dictatorial mindset of Imran Khan." PTI MZ SMJ AKJ SMJ

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