Last updated on August 29th, 2024 at 06:47 am
Islamabad: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, led by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, announced on Sunday that nationwide protests would be held next month. The nationwide protests will be held to mark one year since the arrest of the PTI chief and immediate release while also providing a way out for the citizens who have been badly struck due to inflation.
Nationwide Protests on August 5
The 71-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician was arrested on August 5 last year at his Lahore residence following conviction in the Toshakhana case. The case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan accused Khan of concealing the sale of gifts from the state repository. Ex-National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser said the protest’s final decision is going to be at an upcoming party meeting, but considerable demos are already proposed for August 5 across the nation.
Protests Against Arrest and Inflation
Qaiser announced in a news conference, “On August 5, rallies and big demonstrations will be held in the length and breadth of Pakistan on two issues. First of all, August 5th is the day Imran Khan was arrested; he was arrested in a fabricated case on illegal grounds.” Besides inflation, he said, protests will cover the imprisonment of other PTI members. The public was called upon to join protests against inflation and Khan’s arrest.
Imran Khan’s Legal Battles
The Islamabad High Court later suspended Khan’s arrest in the Toshakhana case, but he is still imprisoned in Rawalpindi’s high-security Adiala Jail in other cases. Qaiser condemned the alleged crackdown on PTI lawmakers and supporters for the sake of dignity of Parliament and called for withdrawal of what he termed baseless cases against PTI members. He warned of sit-ins countrywide and invited all parties to join him in the protest as he declared the current government illegitimate.
Attacks on the Government
PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan blamed the ruling PML-N for trying to sow discord between PTI and the army. He said the agencies were targeting the PTI-backed lawmakers and implicate them in corruption cases. Ayub said that immediate fresh elections are the sole solution to the political turmoil that has been going on in the country for quite some time.
Failure of Protests and Next Move
The decisions to hold protests on the first anniversary of Khan’s arrest come after the party failed to hold a protest in Islamabad on Friday after the authorities banned demonstrations in the national capital.
As the anniversary of Imran Khan’s arrest nears, PTI is planning countrywide protests by the thousand to raise a call for justice for its chief and provide respite to the burdened high inflation-stricken masses. The situation in this country continues to be grim, with a growing demand for fresh polls and a solution to the ongoing conflicts.