PPP, PTI change venue for May 12 rally after row over Hakim Saeed Ground

PTI announces to hold rally near Aladdin Park in Karachi on May 12; PPP decides on Bagh-e-Jinnah

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GEO NEWS
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PTI has announced to hold rally near Aladdin Park in Karachi on May 12; PPP has decided on Bagh-e-Jinnah

KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced to hold its May 12 rally near Aladdin Park in Karachi, after the tussle between the Pakistan Peoples Party and PTI over the venue was ended by PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

The PPP and PTI came face to face at the Hakeem Saeed Ground late Monday, with both parties wanting to hold their rallies there on May 12. The war of words quickly escalated to violence, with several workers injured in the clashes that ensued.

The tug of war came to an end after Bilawal, via a tweet earlier today, invited Imran Khan to hold the PTI rally at Hakeem Saeed Ground.

Hours later, the PTI said it will hold its rally at the Sunday Bazaar Ground, adjacent to Aladdin Park in Gulistan-e-Jauhar. 

The PPP, meanwhile, has decided to hold its May 12 rally at Bagh-e-Jinnah, party leader Saeed Ghani said earlier today.

PTI Karachi General Secretary Khurram Sher Zaman, welcoming the decision by the PPP, said his party has decided on the Sunday Bazaar Ground and that it is even “bigger than Bagh-e-Jinnah”.

Sher Zaman, speaking to reporters while paying a visit to the chosen venue, vowed that the rally would be “the biggest in Karachi’s history”.

He lauded the Pakistan Armed Forces for restoring peace in Karachi and criticised the PPP and MQM for promoting politics based on ethnicity. 

PP and PTI came face to face at Hakeem Saeed Ground on Monday, as the war of words escalated into violence. Two cars were set on fire, while several workers were reported injured. Photo: Geo News

Two cars were set on fire in Gulshan-e-Iqbal during Monday's clashes and motorcycles and cars parked at the Hakeem Saeed Ground premises were vandalised.

Workers from both parties accused each other of instigating the violence. In his tweets, Bilawal claimed stones were thrown at PPP workers from PTI’s camp. “Our trucks were set on fire. PTI’s leader’s guards fired weapons. More than 20 workers sustained considerable injuries," he said.