Pak. Govt. set to stop ARD rally

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, APRIL 30. Authorities in Karachi have sealed the venue of a protest rally even as political parties demanding return to democracy vowed to defy the ban on political gatherings and go ahead with the demonstration. The rally organised by the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD), umbrella outfit of about 16 parties including the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), is intended to serve notice on the military Government to return to the barracks and order immediate elections.

There is little chance of the rally being held, despite the proclamations by the ARD leaders to the contrary, as the Chief Executive, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, declared during the course of the day the determination of his Government to thwart the rally. Addressing a convention on the ongoing multi-phase local bodies election, Gen. Musharraf declared that ``once we have said there will be no political activity, there will be no political activity''.

The international community and human rights organisations such as Amnesty International have denounced the Government's curbs on political activity including the blanket ban on gatherings. But the outcry, within and outside Pakistan, has made little difference to the resolve of the military regime. It had thwarted a similar rally proposed in Lahore on March 23. The authorities in the city not only sealed the venue of the proposed rally but also detained a number of ARD leaders as a preventive measure.

That the Government was determined to stop the rally was evident from the detention of a number of ARD leaders last week. Provinces have been instructed to impose a ban on ARD leaders visiting Karachi. It is believed that police have been deployed in full strength to prevent any untoward incident.

No one had expected the ARD to put up a big show at Karachi. However, the manner in which the authorities have reacted in the last few days in a bid to prevent the demonstration appears to have served the basic objective of the organisers.

The importance of the rally would not be gauged in terms of the number of people who would turn up defying the Government. It would be considered a success even if a handful of ARD activists attempt to march towards the venue.

The rally is seen more as an attempt by political outfits to assert their position vis-a-vis the military Government particularly at a juncture when the former Prime Minister, Ms. Benazir Bhutto, is planning to return to Pakistan ending her self-exile.

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Section  : International
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