• Power shows planned in Lahore, Rawalpindi; party claims several workers arrested
• Asad Qaiser says this isn’t ‘final call’; protest to continue till govt’s ouster
• Ali Zafar says door to dialogue closed, but ‘decisions can change’
• Azma hopes people will reject ‘politics of chaos’
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Amid claims of a crackdown by the government, the PTI will launch its movement for the release of party founder Imran Khan and other prisoners today, which, it said, will continue till the ouster of the incumbent government.
According to PTI leader Asad Qaiser, August 5 is the inception of the protest, but it should not be considered a ‘final call’.
“Provincial chapters of the PTI have been directed to arrange rallies, public awareness events, and other activities. The protest will continue till the fake government is removed,” he said, adding that it was the right of the masses that their true representatives sit in parliament. The Aug 5 protest marks the second anniversary of party chief Imran Khan’s imprisonment in a corruption case.
“We have decided to involve all segments of the society…in the protest as we have been raising our voice for their rights,” the PTI leader claimed.
According to Mr Qaiser, raids against workers and members of parliament have started, while a number of workers have been arrested. He said details were being collected to know the actual number of arrests. The PTI leader claimed raids had started in Punjab and Kashmir and Section 144 was being imposed in different districts.
Meanwhile, PTI Punjab media cell head Shayan Bashir, in a press conference alongside Senator Ali Zafar, claimed that the police made some 200 raids and picked up party workers, who were released after allegedly submitting affidavits.
“The PTI will stage a major show of strength in Lahore and outside Adiala Jail (in Rawalpindi), besides organising massive rallies across the province, which will continue afterwards at full throttle,” he said. “Party workers and supporters from different districts have also reached Lahore,” he added.
During the presser, Senator Zafar made an ambiguous statement about talks, saying that though the “door for dialogue” had been closed by Imran Khan but in politics, “decisions do change”.
He said Mr Khan had given a message that he would be ready to stay in jail for 10 years for the people of Pakistan and the rule of law and not succumb to any kind of pressure, including “fake cases” and delay in the hearing of his cases.
Saying that he believed in dialogue, Senator Zafar said Mr Khan had once allowed the party to go into dialogue with two conditions, which were not accepted by the government, and the talks fell through.
Senator Zafar said the government was relying on four major cases against Imran Khan —Toshakhana-I, the cipher case, the Iddat case and the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case —but all cases crumbled one by one as they reached the high court. “The convictions handed down by the jail trial courts were suspended by the high court in a matter of minutes, except for the last Al-Qadir Trust case, which is not being allowed to be heard for the sake of delay,” he claimed.
Claiming that Mr Khan was resolute that he would get out of jail through the courts, Senator Zafar said the former prime minister was facing the “worst kind” of human rights violations. He said the government and powers that be wanted to break Mr Khan while exerting pressure on him and his wife.
“The government will fail in its efforts to keep Imran Khan out of politics,” he asserted.
Answering a question about boycotting by-elections, Senator Zafar said holding by-elections was illegal until the disqualification was upheld by the Supreme Court. He said the PTI would approach courts against the by-elections. It may be noted that several PTI leaders were disqualified following their conviction in the May 9 cases.
‘Politics of chaos’
On the other hand, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said people would reject the Aug 5 protest call.
“The politics of chaos will be rejected and defeated by the people. The PTI is no longer a political party but it has become a fascist group determined to damage the state institutions and disrupt national unity,” Ms Bokhari said during a presser in Lahore on Monday. The minister claimed that the person who raised slogans of ’Haqiqi Azadi (real freedom) was the same individual whose $18 million advertisement was published in the United States.
“This man once begged for freedom from America, and now his sons are repeating the same narrative,” said the minister. It may be noted that the PTI had said Imran Khan’s sons would also arrive in Pakistan to join the movement. The minister said on August 5, when the nation would be expressing solidarity with Kashmiris, the PTI’s protest call was “highly regrettable”.
