- Says he will lead long march despite life threats, bad health condition
- Tells PBS not holding polls immediately could lead to chaos
LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday urged all Pakistanis to participate in his party’s much-hyped long march on Saturday (tomorrow) in what appears to be his final showdown with the incumbent government to force it to announce early election date.
“Dear Pakistanis, I want all of you to participate in our haqeeqi long march in Pindi at 1pm on Saturday,” Imran Khan said in a short video statement.
چیئرمین پی ٹی آئی عمران خان کا ویڈیو پیغام- #ملتے_ہیں_پنڈی_میں pic.twitter.com/9jKt09ZPuN
— PTI (@PTIofficial) November 24, 2022
Imran, who was voted out of power through a no-confidence in April, said that only a nation which has justice in it will get real freedom. “When there is justice, there are rights. When there are rights, a nation is free. Only an independent nation is prosperous,” he went on to say.
The former premier said that the nation will not stay silent until it gets real freedom. “I am coming for you despite my [health] condition and all of you need to come to Pindi for me,” he concluded.
چیئرمین عمران خان سے جمعیت علمائے اسلام شیرانی گروپ کے وفد کی مولانا محمد خان شیرانی کی سربراہی میں ملاقات۔
ملاقات میں مولانا محمد خان شیرانی نے عمران خان کی عیادت کی، عمران خان پر قاتلانہ حملہ کی بھرپور مذمت کی اور ملکی سیاسی صورتحال پر تفصیلی تبادلہ خیال کیا۔ pic.twitter.com/WRdtbVvYXp
— PTI (@PTIofficial) November 24, 2022
Not holding polls immediately could lead to chaos
In an interview with PBS, PTI chief Imran Khan said if elections were not held, it would not affect his party, but he was concerned that the incumbent government could leave the country heading towards “economic chaos”.
“If they (the government) don’t hold elections immediately, it doesn’t bother my party, because we are gaining all the time”, he told the PBS. “But our worry is that they will leave the country in a … state where it will be beyond anyone’s control.”
Chairman PTI @ImranKhanPTI’s interview with @IAmAmnaNawaz on @NewsHour pic.twitter.com/z1an6iAxu5
— PTI (@PTIofficial) November 24, 2022
The PTI chief said if the current government “goes the whole way, fine, we will wait. “My only concern is that, the way things are going, we could be heading toward chaos. I mean economic chaos”.
He also said the PTI’s protest in Rawalpindi would be “completely peaceful”.
To a question, Imran Khan said: “The two parties have been in power in Pakistan for the — for 30 years. And 30 years, the military governments have been in power. My party came — we only had three-and-a-half years in government. We broke all records of exports in Pakistan, and our tax collection was the highest in our history. So we were heading in the right direction.”
To another question about relations with the US, the PTI chairman said: “Firstly, I mean, it is just a fact that the Pakistan-US relationship has been lopsided. It is not, for instance, the US-India relationship, which I call a very civilized relationship, a dignified relationship. In Pakistan, we have been — well, the war on terror, we were like a hired gun. And I think it is a very undignified relationship.”
He went on to say: “The United States is a democracy. Democracies accept criticism. Democracies accept other people’s point of view. Master slaves don’t. Pakistan’s relationship with the US is very important for us. So, just because the regime change, it shouldn’t mean that I should have not in future relationship with the U.S. And, yes, I have my right to criticize.”
Meeting reviews preparation for long march
Meanwhile, senior PTI leader Asad Umar presided over a meeting regarding the party’s preparation for the long march in Rawalpindi. Senior PTI leadership including Umar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Ali Nawaz and others participated in the meeting.
راولپنڈی میں حقیقی آزادی مارچ کے انتظامات کے حوالے سے مرکزی سیکرٹری جنرل اسد عمر کی زیر صدارت PTI کا اہم ترین اجلاس،
اجلاس میں انتظامات کے حوالے سے تفصیلی گفتگو کی گئی
اجلاس میں مارچ کے سیکیورٹی پلان،روٹ پلان اور میڈیا کے حوالے سے پلان اور دیگر اہم امور پر تفصیلی تبادلہ خیال pic.twitter.com/P4NWxQjFgl
— PTI (@PTIofficial) November 24, 2022
The meeting discussed the overall preparations for the long march in Rawalpindi. The security plan, long march route and other significant matters came under discussion during the meeting.
The meeting was briefed that a caravan had left from Karachi for Rawalpindi whereas two others were ready to begin their journey to the garrison city from Quetta and Gilgit-Baltistan.
A briefing was also given in the meeting regarding the accommodation of the participants.
Issues regarding the provision of all basic needs including food and accommodation to the participants of the march were also discussed in the meeting.
“The nation is fully united and eager to achieve real freedom,” Umar said, adding that the party would welcome caravans from all over Pakistan in Rawalpindi.
“The captain [Imran Khan] will lead the ocean of people in Rawalpindi on November 26,” he further said.
PTI finalises plan for Rawalpindi sit-in on Nov 26
President of PTI’s Lahore chapter, Sheikh Imtiaz, has said that the party has finalised its plan for the Rawalpindi sit-in on November 26.
“The PTI cavalcade from Lahore will leave the city at 7am on Saturday. It will travel through the Lahore Motorway Toll Plaza and then enter Rawalpindi,” he told Dawn.com.
Imtiaz added that the party had formed a contingency plan for the march as well. “We have delegated responsibilities to all the stakeholders.
GHQ has ‘no objection’ to Imran’s helicopter landing at Parade Ground
The General Headquarters (GHQ) has said that it has “no objection” to the PTI’s request regarding the landing of PTI chief Imran Khan’s helicopter at the Parade Ground on November 26.
A GHQ document circulating on social media and which has been verified by Dawn.com stated that the party should reach out to the Capital Development Authority or the federal government as the matter fell under their jurisdiction.
“General Headquarters has no objection to the request for placement of helicopter subject to clearance by concerned authorities,” it added.
جی ایچ کیو نے چئیرمین تحریک انصاف عمران خان @ImranKhanPTI کےہیلی کاپٹر کو پریڈ گراونڈ میں لینڈنگ کی اجازت دیدی pic.twitter.com/4FW3FYI2mm
— Asad Kharal (@AsadKharal) November 24, 2022
Earlier this week, the PTI submitted a petition to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for permission to “allow the helicopter of chairman PTI Imran Khan for landing and taking off from Parade Ground till the conclusion of the gathering”.
Govt has ‘no problem’ with landing of Imran’s helicopter at Parade Ground
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that the government had no problem with the landing of PTI chairman Imran Khan’s helicopter landing at the Parade Ground in Islamabad on November 26.
In an interview with journalist Hamid Mir on Geo News today, he said that the administration of Islamabad would take the decision “on merit”.
Meanwhile, in response to a question on the party’s prolonged sit-in and road blockage in Rawalpindi, Sanaullah warned the PTI against blocking roads and causing any inconvenience to the general public.
