The Pakistan Democratic Movement rally in Multan appeared different from the four rallies that have been held in Karachi, Quetta, Gujranwala and Peshawar. The PDM held the rally at Chowk Ghanta Ghar despite the blocking of all roads with containers and barriers on all chowks and major roads leading to the meeting place, Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh.

Four dozen PPP workers were arrested and handcuffed including Syed Abdul Qadir Gillani, Syed Ali Musa Gillani, Syed Ali Qasim Gillani and MPA Syed Ali Haider Gillani, sons of the former PM Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani. The police manhandled Syed Ali Qasim Gillani, one of the organisers of PDM meeting, and slapped and punched him.

Purani Kotwali police have also registered a case (No. 690/20) against 2,500-3,000 PDM workers including PML-N ex-MPA Shahid Khan, ex-MNAs Sheikh Tariq Rashid, and Malik Abdul Ghafar Dogar and the latter’s son Waqar Dogar, among others. The FIR includes anti-terrorism sections.

The Lohari Gate police have registered two FIRs against 80 identified and 800 unidentified workers under Sections 353/156, 379/506, 427/148 and 149 of Pakistan Penal Code besides Section 17 of the Punjab Infectious Diseases (Prevention and Control) Ordinance 2020. The FIRs allege that activists “armed with clubs” “damaged the barriers and fence installed to control the law and order situation” and “attacked the police”.

The administration started removing the barriers from the routes when two big rallies led separately by Aseefa Bhutto Zardari and Maulana Fazlur Rehman came out in full force. The former started from former prime minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani’s residence and the latter from Gulgasht seminary Jamia Qasimul Aloom. The mammoth rallies were a test of nerves for the administration, which had completely sealed the Gillani House by placing containers on both sides of the road a day earlier. Power supply to the Gillani House was also disconnected.

The containers were removed from Gillani House when the rally advanced towards the meeting venue. The printing presses and panaflex printers had signed surety bonds that would not print any PDM material.

The rally marked the political debut of Aseefa Bhutto. Already, Maryam Nawaz has gained trust and popularity as the face of the PML-N.

Political workers are of the view that this heralds a new beginning for women’s leadership in the PPP and the PML-N. They say that this signals a commitment by both to break the patriarchal structure, strengthening the struggle for the restoration of human rights, weakening the forces of obscurantism and chauvinism, and resisting the fragmentation of society.

Aseefa Bhutto’s speech, oratorial skills, gestures and body language – moving arms and waving hands brought back memories of Benazir Bhutto for the PPP workers.

“[It seems that] Shaheed Benazir Bhutto has returned! I’m stunned to hear Aseefa Bhutto live (in a gathering of the Pakistan Democratic Movement) for the first time in my political career. Aseefa Bhutto looks like a stateswoman, like her mother, highly confident, passionate, with a powerful Urdu accent”, observes Abida Bokhari.

Bokhari is heading Pakistan Peoples Party Multan chapter of women, and joined the PDM rally with a large procession of PPP women activists to celebrate PPP’s 53rd birthday at Chowk Ghanta Ghar.

“[It seems that] Shaheed Benazir Bhutto has returned! I’m stunned to hear Aseefa Bhutto live,” says Abida Bokhari.

She says that Aseefa has stayed true to the Bhutto tradition. Like Benazir Bhutto who had emerged as a hope in the society where the draconian Zia martial law consigned women to chadar and char deewari in 1979 and inducted restrictive ordinances, which increased the marginalisation of this 50 percent of the population.”

“Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and PPP founder Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had a special place in their hearts for the Seraiki people”, said Aseefa in her short address in the PDM rally.

Maryam Nawaz, the PML-N vice president, alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khan had “received foreign funding”, “built offshore companies”, and “given NRO to mafias to rob the public”.

“Aleema Baji (Imran Khan’s sister)”, she said in her scathing criticism of the PTI’s narrative, “has earned billions of rupees from sewing machines but Imran Khan is honest”.

Speaking at the huge gathering, the PDM chief, Maulana Fazalur Rehman said the PTI government “had invited an early countdown” to “pack up selected rulers” in the wake of the “ruthless crackdown on PDM workers in Multan”.

Akhtar Mengal of the Balochistan National Party (BNP) said that “the military regime should first take off their uniform and then participate in politics”.

Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s Mehmood Khan Achakzai said that the PDM was “not formed to speak against anyone”.

“The prime objective”, he said, “is to stop intelligence agencies and armed forces from interfering in politics.”

He warned that “dangerous blocs” were being created around Pakistan.

“The country may be bombed by foreign forces just as an Iranian scientist and a military general have been slain,” he said.

“The solution”, he continued, “was that the incumbent assembly be dissolved”.

The pressure is building. With new political actors emerging on the scene, the government has its work cut out. The PDM Islamabad Long March schedule has been changed, and now it is expected to begin soon after the Lahore rally instead of January 2021.

The writer is bureau chief of The News in Multan. He may be reached at trisign69@yahoo.com