Minar-e-Pakistan: PPP granted permission to mark Zardari’s birthday

LAHORE: The Pakistan Peoples Party Lahore has announced a public gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan to mark President Asif Ali Zardari’s birthday, after Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif granted permission for the event, with party workers already arriving at the venue to begin preparations. According to details, Pakistan Peoples Party Lahore President Faisal Mir sent a formal letter to Deputy Commissioner Lahore Captain Ali, informing him that the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Punjab, Sajid Zafar, had notified him that the Chief Minister Punjab had granted permission to hold the birthday event of President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari. In the letter, Faisal Mir requested the Deputy Commissioner Lahore to issue necessary directions to the concerned administration so that Pakistan Peoples Party Lahore could immediately be given access to the venue at Minar-e-Pakistan, enabling preparations for the important event to begin without delay, and he expressed hope for a prompt response and full cooperation in this regard. Later the same evening, Faisal Mir spoke informally to the media at Minar-e-Pakistan, saying that he was grateful to the Chief Minister Punjab for granting permission for the gathering and that the Principal Secretary had formally informed him that permission had been granted. He said that they needed one day to complete the arrangements for the event and stated that by granting permission for the gathering, Maryam Nawaz had promoted democratic traditions. Faisal Mir said that his party workers had arrived at Minar-e-Pakistan on Thursday and would remain there throughout the night, and that the police had also been informed that the Chief Minister had granted permission. He made it clear that if the deputy commissioner did not cooperate, they would drain the water from the ground themselves. According to Faisal Mir, a stage measuring one hundred feet long and twenty-four feet wide is being prepared for the event, where singers will perform patriotic songs, while at one minute past twelve on 26th July, a twenty-four-foot-high cake will be cut to mark President Asif Ali Zardari’s birthday. He denied the impression that workers had broken the gate at Minar-e-Pakistan, saying that the gate had already been open. Faisal Mir further said that Peoples Party workers were citizens just as much as workers of other political parties, and that the gathering on 25th July would begin at eight in the evening, with Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari addressing it via video link, while Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Hassan Murtaza and Qamar Zaman Kaira would also address the gathering. He said that convoys of workers would arrive from every town of Lahore. On this occasion, Peoples Party leader Majeed Ghori also spoke to the media, saying that party workers had brought the stage equipment to Minar-e-Pakistan and that, whether it rained or the weather turned hot, the workers remained determined to hold the gathering. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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