RAWALPINDI: Workers and supporters of the Pakistan People`s Party (PPP) will gather at the Jinnah Park, the site of the old Rawalpindi Jail, where Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the founding chairman of the PPP, was executed on April 4, 1979.

A local party leader told Dawn the PPP wanted to start the election campaign for cantonment elections in the garrison cityfrom Saturday (tomorrow) and instructed local workers to arrive at the park in the form of rallies.

He said a meeting was held at the PPP Rawalpindi Office on Thursday to finalise plans for Bhutto`s death anniversary.

`The Jinnah Park is managed by the garrison authorities and the park management has already been informed by the PPP City President Amir Fida Paracha that the PPP Rawalpindi will be holding a gathering at the park,` he said.

The party leader said that following the meeting, all PPP candidates for LG cantonment elections were asked to demonstrate their strength in numbers and said that the party would be announcing its candidates on April 5, af ter seeing the rallies by the local leaders.

He said during the meeting, PPP work-erscriticised the partyleadershipforcontacting Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) for an alliance without adequate preparation.

He added that the PPP failed to finalise the 20 candidates for the elections and decided to give tickets to old workers in six wards of Rawalpindi and Chaklala Cantonment Boards.

`A party meeting would be held on Friday to discuss how the party could be brought out of crises,` he said.

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He said the city organisation contacted all the workers and supporters to ensureadequate arrangements are in place.

He said leaders from Rawalpindi district including Raja Pervaiz Ashraf will be attending the main anniversary function at Ghari Khuda Bux in Sindh however, former chairman Senate Nayyar Bukhari is likely to attend the event in Rawalpindi.

He admitted that the party will formally launch the election campaign from April 4 but the names of the candidates would be announced next week.

`The party wants to bring old workers to the front to strengthen the party structure at the grassroot level,` he said.

In response to a question, he did not share the number of applications received by PPP for cantonment election tickets and said the party would support its workers whether they win or not.