Imran Khan asks his workers & supporters to prepare for ‘Jail Bharo Movement’ across the country
LAHORE, Feb 04 (SABAH): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan on Saturday asked his workers and supporters to prepare for “Jail Bharo Movement” across the country.
Imran Khan’s comments come in the wake of sedition cases filed against his party’s Senior Vice-President Fawad Chaudhry and former member of National Assembly Shandana Gulzar, while Senator Azam Khan Swati and Shahbaz Gill were booked earlier for speaking against the military.
During his televised address on Saturday, the deposed prime minister said his party could have opted for a nationwide strike, but will choose to fill the prisons instead in light of the fears that the country’s economy might deteriorate further.
“We have two options: Considering what they have been doing, we could have gone for a wheel-jam strike and demonstrations — which is also a way and a democratic one.”
“But since the state of economy is so bad, it’ll worsen. Therefore, I ask all my workers, the Pakistani nation and everyone to prepare for Jail Bharo movement,” Imran Khan said.
The former premier, while addressing the youth and nation, added that his party won’t stay quiet on the violence being inflicted on his party’s members. “Instead of causing destruction, we would now prepare Jail Bharo movement.”
“It was their plan to weaken Tehreek-e-Insaf by frightening and threatening,” the PTI chief said. Imran Khan claimed his party never committed such atrocities in its tenure as the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government in the centre has.
“Fawad Chaudhry was picked up from home at 3:00 AM. What did Shandana Gulzar do that made her a terrorist. As the court gives bail to Sheikh Rashid, more cases are being filed against him,” the PTI chairman said, insisting how action has been taken against every person who called out the regime change.
Imran Khan said members of the PTI and its supporters were being targeted in revenge activities. “We are not afraid of arrests,” he said.
Imran Khan, while hitting out at the government over the economic crisis, said those who came to power through conspiracy had ruined the country. “The imported government has no roadmap for the country’s progress,” he added.
The PTI chairman said Finance Minister Ishaq Dar first threatened the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and now he had bowed down before the international lender.
“The leader of the political party stated that they had considered staging a statewide strike, but ultimately decided against it due to concerns about causing further economic damage to the country. He stated that there were attempts to eliminate the PTI from the competition, so that someone from London could come and win.
The leader claimed that the PTI’s followers and members were facing retaliation and expressed their bravery in not being afraid of arrest. He also highlighted that only the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa made contributions to the National Finance Commission award.”
Earlier on Saturday, Imran Khan lashed out at the government after authorities demolished street vendor carts, provided during his rule under the Ehsaas Rehriban initiative, in I-10 sector of the federal capital.
The PTI chief took to Twitter to share a slew of photos showing dismantled carts and the products of vendors scattered on the roadside after what appeared to be an anti-encroachment operation.
“At a time of rising inflation and unemployment, this imported government showed its callousness again by demolishing street vendor carts in Islamabad’s I-10 sector, provided by our government under the Ehsaas Rehriban program.”
Calling it a “condemnable inhumane act,” the former premier claimed that the government had deliberately targeted the poor and vulnerable segment of society.