Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party on Sunday announced plans to hold nationwide protests next month to mark the first anniversary of its founder’s arrest, demanding his immediate release and relief for a nation left bankrupt by inflation.
The 71-year-old former cricketer turned politician was arrested from his Lahore home on August 5 last year after being convicted in the Tosha Khana case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan for concealing the sale of gifts obtained from the state exchequer.
Former parliament speaker Assad Kaiser said the final decision on protests would be taken at a party meeting but that large demonstrations were planned across the country for August 5.
“On August 5, we will hold rallies and large scale demonstrations across Pakistan on two issues. First, August 5 marks the day Imran Khan was arrested. He was illegally arrested in a trumped up case,” he told a press conference.
He added that protests against inflation and the imprisonment of other members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf would also be held.
He called on the people to join the organisation’s protests against inflation and the illegal arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder.
Though Imran Khan’s arrest in the Toshakhana case was later stayed by the Islamabad High Court, he was not released and was arrested in other cases. He remains lodged in the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
Qaiser also condemned the government’s alleged crackdown on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmakers and supporters and questioned the dignity of Parliament if its members are being insulted.
He demanded withdrawal of baseless cases against members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and threatened to launch a countrywide sit-in movement, calling on all political parties to join him, and declared the current government a fake.
Kaisar alleged that independent candidates who won with the backing of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf were being pressured to change loyalty and switch sides and sought an independent inquiry by the Supreme Court.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Secretary-General Omar Ayub Khan said lawmakers backed by his party had been arrested by authorities and accused of corruption.
He also accused the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of trying to create rifts and conflict between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the military. He suggested that immediate fresh elections were the only solution to the political turmoil.
The decision to hold the protest on the first anniversary of Imran Khan’s arrest came after the party was unable to hold a protest in Islamabad on Friday as authorities banned such demonstrations in the capital.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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