Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday alleged that his government was overthrown under a ‘conspiracy’ and ‘gang of criminals’ were imposed on the country.
“A message should be sent today that no one cannot curb the people’s passion by force,” he said while addressing the party’s jalsa at Lahore’s Minar-e-Pakistan. PTI president Pervaiz Elahi and other party leaders – including Asad Qaisar Pervez Khattak and Qasim Suri – were present on the stage.
Addressing the power show, Imran Khan praised party workers and supporters for reaching the venue despite ‘the hurdles created by the Punjab government’. Lambasting the Punjab government for ‘creating hurdles’, Imran Khan claimed they over 2,000 PTI workers have been taken and containers were placed to prevent party supporters from reaching the venue. “The people of Pakistan have borne all kinds of oppression”, the former premier said, adding that a nation cannot progress if it does not ‘resists the oppression’. He added that a nation gets ‘real freedom’ when there is ‘supremacy of rule of law’. “It is unfortunate that in the country’s history, our democratic leaders never upheld rule of law,” he said, adding that Constitution and law were abolished during martial law.
The former prime minister also lambasted the government for ‘registering bogus cases’ against him, saying that they have registered 143 ‘fake cases’ under several charges – including terrorism and blasphemy.
He also criticised Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) over ‘atrocities’ in interior Sindh, saying that people of interior Sindh were helpless as ‘Zardari Mafia’ was imposed on them. Meanwhile, the local administration placed containers on the ways leading to Minar-e-Pakistan, including GT Road, Cup Store and Du Maurya Bridge. The road heading from Data Darbar towards Minar-e-Pakistan has also been closed off from both sides. Other routes including Minar-e-Pakistan from Lower Mall, Shahdara from Niazi Chowk, Badami Bagh and Purani Sabzi market were also closed by placing containers.
PTI started the show with PTI leader Sheikh Rashid’s address. Starting with salutations to the party workers who reached the destination despite obstacles, he said PTI chief Imran Khan awakened the nation adding that people had come out against “thieves” as they had transferred wealth outside the country. “They tried to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) but failed”, he added. He wanted to apprise PM Shehbaz, he said, that country’s poor were dying.
Mr Rashid said the PTI did not have anything against the state institutions including Pakistan army. Mentioning the ECP’s postponement of elections in Punjab, he said the nation was looking up to the Supreme Court for upholding the Constitution.
He went on to say that despite the nation was ready to do anything, we still wanted the government to sit with us and take a decision about elections. “Even Iran and Saudi Arabia have united today”, he added.
The PTI also paid a video tribute to Zille Shah, the party worker who the party claimed, had died by the police’s torture at the party’s gathering on Lahore’s Mall Road.
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