LAHORE: A day after he opened a new front in his war with the military establishment, former prime minister Imran Khan on Saturday delivered another fiery speech targeting the intelligence chief and called two servicemen under him — who his party has accused of inflicting custodial torture on Senator Azam Swati — “savages”.
Khan, who on the first day of the march on Friday came out guns blazing against Lt. Gen. Nadeem Anjum and accused him of holding a press conference “more political than Sheikh Rasheed”, again put the director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency on his radar.
“[Yours was an] apolitical press conference, you say? You don’t target only Imran Khan in an apolitical press conference,” he thundered, standing atop his container.
عمران خان کا “دو وحشیوں” کو پیغام! 👊🔥#حقیقی_آزادی_مارچ #حقیقی_آزادی_لانگ_مارچ pic.twitter.com/E9FmciFs78
— Eᴀsᴛ Cᴏᴀsᴛ Aᴠᴇɴɢᴇʀ 🔪™ (@ArtistInWarTime) October 29, 2022
On Saturday, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) resumed its protest march to Islamabad to demand snap elections at noon from Shahdara Town on the outskirts of Lahore.
Thousands of people gathered in the border town of the provincial metropolis, from where a convoy began the 380-kilometre journey to the capital, expected to take around a week with rallies planned along the route.
What a massive crowd today, definitely bigger than yesterday! #حقیقی_آزادی_لانگ_مارچ pic.twitter.com/G7opL1XrBJ
— PTI (@PTIofficial) October 29, 2022
Speaking to a charged crowd, Khan recalled Swati blamed two ISI officials for the torture. “The names he took […] these two savages — since the day they were brought to Islamabad, [they] oppressed the people and media, threatened them, picked up social media activists.
“First they picked up Shahbaz Gill, stripped him and tortured him and then [repeated the same with anchorperson] Jameel Farooqui.”
He also called on Umar Ata Bandial, the chief justice, to protect people’s fundamental rights and take action against the alleged custodial torture of PTI leaders, particularly Senator Swati.
“Chief justice sahib, it is your job to protect fundamental rights. The nation is looking towards you. Action is taken against custodial torture across the world …Who will protect our fundamental rights if not you chief justice sahib?” he said.
اس وقت ساری قوم اپنی معزز عدلیہ اور چیف جسٹس صاحب کی طرف دیکھ رہی ہے۔ چئیرمین عمران خان #حقیقی_آزادی_مارچ pic.twitter.com/rIHqT3SZR4
— PTI (@PTIofficial) October 29, 2022
Continuing with his diatribe, Khan, who made it apparent who he was addressing and yet without naming anyone, said: “Don’t treat us like animals, that you first call them [current government leaders] robbers and then impose them on us, and tell us sheep that now move in this direction.”
“You first tell us the Nawaz Sharif was a robber and now he is clean. Previously, Zardari was ‘Mr 10 percent’ in the world and but now since ‘we have decided, you also accept him’.”
He exclaimed again “we are not sheep” and that “you are standing with them today”.
‘WAIT FOR MY DECISION’
Second day into his march, Khan was still playing his cards close to his chest. Speaking to Aaj TV earlier in the day, Khan said no one can stop the protest, and called on his supporters to wait for his next decision when he reached Islamabad.
“About what will happen once we reach Islamabad, you have to wait as to what I decide after reaching the capital,” he told the cable TV station.
@ImranKhanPTI کہتے ہیں وہ صرف صاف شفاف الیکشن چاہتے ہیں، اس مطالبے کو کوئی نہیں روک سکتا، فیصلہ اب اسلام آباد جاکر ہوگا، ہم آئین و قانون کے دائرے میں ہی رہیں گے
رپورٹ: @saleemsheikh120 #LongMarch #PTI pic.twitter.com/Iu8Ot4PSNb— Aaj_Urdu (@Aaj_Urdu) October 29, 2022
“We need to rid the country of looters and thieves who are taking the country’s money for their own interests,” supporter Muhammad Mazhar, 36, told AFP. “We need to save the country and change this system, so I am supporting Imran Khan.”
Meanwhile, Fawad Chaudhry, senior vice president of the party, said the movement aims to empower the people and “take decision-making out of closed rooms”.
He said it includes people who wish to “change the system for the next generation” and that the nation’s middle class has come out to change the status quo. “And it will change it under the leadership of Imran Khan.”
آج #حقیقی_آزادی_مارچ کا دوسرا دن شاھدرہ سے شروع ہو گا اور کامو نکی میں اختتام پذیر ہو گا، لوگوں نے عمران خان پر جو محبت نچھاور کی ہے اس سے عوام کے سیاسی شعور کا اندازہ ہوتا ہے تحریک انصاف خصوصاً ان خواتین کا شکریہ ادا کرنا چاہتی ہے جو بچوں کے ساتھ مارچ میں آئیں
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) October 29, 2022
“This nation is ready to make every sacrifice but it will not accept thieves. The objective of the march is that decisions should be taken by the people themselves,” Khan told the crowd from the top of a shipping container late on Friday.
Parts of his speech that addressed the heads of the military and intelligence services were censored by TV channels.
PTI ‘WILLING’ TO NEGOTIATE
Khan plans to lead the motorised caravan slowly northwards up the GT Road to Islamabad, drawing more support along the way before entering the capital by November 4.
By the time he gets there, Khan said he expects to have hundreds of thousands of people with him, and his party has asked authorities in the capital to allow a protest sit-in.
Late on Friday, members of the PTI told journalists the party was willing to negotiate with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government if it announced a date for a snap election.
The government said polls will be held as scheduled in October next year. Khan says he is not willing to wait.
Meanwhile, Islamabad police have asked owners of hotels and guest lodges in the capital not to rent out rooms to participants of the long march once they reach the city, Dawn News reported, citing an official letter.
The letter, issued by the Industrial Area police station and addressed to a hotel owner at Faizabad, said no accommodation should rent out rooms to people linked to the protest.
“All guest houses, hotels and rest houses will be checked on a daily basis in the light of these directives and strict legal action will be taken if anyone is found violating the orders,” the letter, dated October 28, read.
Second day of PTI long march comes to an end in Ferozwala
The second day of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march to Islamabad has come to an end at Rachna Town near Ferozwala, party leader Fawad Chaudhry confirmed.
In a statement, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry announced that the march will resume at 11pm today (Sunday) from Muridke. The march is currently at Ferozewala.
While addressing the participants at Ferozwala, former prime minister and party chief Imran Khan took an oath from his supporters to always abide by the Constitution. “No one hands freedom on a plate. You have to struggle for it,” he told the march’s participants.
— With AFP, Reuters
