Jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party on Sunday announced it will hold nationwide protests next month to mark one year of the arrest of its founder, demanding his immediate release and relief to people hit by inflation.
The 71-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician was arrested from his Lahore residence on August 5 last year after being convicted in the Toshakhana case, which was filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan against him for allegedly concealing data on the sale of gifts received from the government treasury.
Former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser said the final decision regarding the protests would be taken at a party meeting, but they are planning massive demonstrations across the country on August 5.
“On August 5, we will hold rallies and massive demonstrations across Pakistan on two issues. Firstly, August 5 is the day of Imran Khan’s arrest, he was illegally arrested in a fabricated case,” he said at a press conference.
He said protests would also be held against inflation and the imprisonment of other members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
He urged the public to join Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s protest against inflation and the illegal arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s founder.
Imran Khan’s arrest in the Toshakhana case was later suspended by the Islamabad High Court, but he was not released and was arrested in other cases. He is still lodged in the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
Qaiser also condemned the alleged official action against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party MPs and supporters and said if MPs were being humiliated, it raised questions on the dignity of Parliament.
He demanded withdrawal of baseless cases against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf members and threatened to launch a nationwide sit-in for which he invited all parties to join and termed the present government as fake.
Qaiser alleged that independent candidates who won with the support of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf were being pressured to switch loyalties and switch sides. He urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognizance.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf secretary general Umar Ayub Khan said party-backed lawmakers were being picked up by agencies and implicated in alleged corruption cases.
He also accused the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of trying to drive a wedge between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the military. He suggested that the only solution to the political turmoil was immediate fresh elections.
The decision to hold protests on the first anniversary of Imran Khan’s arrest comes at a time when the party failed to hold a protest in Islamabad on Friday as authorities had banned such demonstrations in the national capital.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
