Blaming the incumbent coalition government for its “political victimisation” of his party leaders and allies, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has announced kickstarting the \u2018Jail Bharo\u2019 (court arrest) movement from Wednesday, starting from Lahore.
\n“We will fill jails, they [authorities] will have no space left to hide,” he said while warning the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led (PDM) government during his address to the nation via video link from Lahore’s Zaman Park residence on Friday, where he has been residing since being shot in the legs on November 3 last year.
\nIn the wake of sedition cases filed against his party leaders including Fawad Chaudhry, Azam Swati and Shahbaz Gill, Imran Khan on February 4 announced “Jail Bharo Tehreek” and asked PTI workers and supporters to prepare for movement across the country.
\n\u201cThey want to enslave us by threatening to put us in jails,\u201d the former prime minister, who was ousted following a vote of no-confidence in April last year, said vowing to fulfil the wish of authorities.
\nKhan claimed that the police entered the homes of PTI workers in Multan and were tasked with such threatening tactics. \u201cIf this work is being done by the police, then won\u2019t the people hate them?\u201d
\nThe interim government is strongly against the PTI, he added.
\n\u201cThe man with a questionable character was brought in. We have a list of 23 people who had inflicted atrocities of which 16 were brought in [the caretaker government],\u201d he said.
\nThe PTI chief also recalled the \u201ctorture\u201d inflicted on his party\u2019s leaders highlighting the treatment meted out to Swati, Gill and Fawad.
\n\u201cNever in history have such acts been committed against political opponents,\u201d Khan lamented.The tensions between the incumbent government and the PTI have heightened, with no sign of respite as the elections in two provinces \u2014 Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa \u2014 near, following the party’s decision to dissolve the assemblies. Punjab and KP assemblies were dissolved by the PTI on January 14 and January 18, respectively.
\nFiring fresh broadside at the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the PTI chief said: \u201cIt is dangerous that the CEC [Chief Election Commissioner] is showing his inability on conducting the election.\u201d
\nKhan’s fresh criticism comes hours after President Dr Arif Alvi summoned CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja for an urgent meeting on February 20 (Monday) regarding the announcement of the date for fresh general elections.
\nHe said that they dissolved the provincial assemblies of Punjab and KP as per the knowledge that the country\u2019s Constitution clarifies that the elections should be held within 90 days of the dissolution of any assembly.
\n\u201cThe caretaker government and the interim chief ministers would be illegal on the 91st day,\u201d he added.
\nNo disaster could be bigger than that when the judiciary failed to ensure the implementation of the Constitution, he said while hitting out hard at the polls organising authority. “There is no justice where the rule of law collapses.”
\nKhan said that they had been claiming that the coalition government did not have the mandate and they cannot run the country.
\nLashing out at the incumbent rulers over the recently announced mini-budget, Khan asked as if raising prices is a \u201ctough decision.\u201d
\nThe government has broken the backbone of people by hiking the prices of all daily-use items, the deposed prime minister added. “[IMF] loans are not the solution to the problems being faced by the country.”
\nTaking a jibe at the PDM government, Khan said: \u201cThey did not come into power via election but auction. The government does not seem to conduct elections in 90 days. They fear elections.\u201d
\nThe ruling alliance wanted to win elections through the rigging, he accused the authorities and at the same time warned that the PTI would not “keep silent over snatching of elections”.
\nAccording to the PTI chief, it seems that institutions are under pressure and the government is running away from elections.
\nHe also vowed that the PTI would not let the government rig the elections, no matter what they do.
\nTurning his guns towards the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party in Sindh, the former prime minister said the PPP has no vote bank in Karachi but it showed achievement in recent elections in the metropolis.
\nReferring to journalist Arshad Sharif\u2019s assassination and alleged crackdown against his party\u2019s leadership, Khan said that the government wanted to send them behind the bars, hence, they would launch a court arrest campaign across the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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