Nisar green-lights PTI’s April 24 jalsa

Directs ICT administration to ensure that routine life in the capital is not affected by rally

ISLAMABAD:

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has cleared the decks for a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf rally at Islamabad’s F-9 Park in commemoration of the party’s foundation day on April 24.

“No hurdles should be created in [PTI’s] April 24 rally,” Nisar instructed the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration as he asked it to settle all matters with the local PTI leadership.

There was a caveat though. The interior minister insists that PTI supporters peacefully disperse at the given time. Furthermore, he also directed the ICT administration to ensure that routine life of the citizens remains unaffected by the rally, said an interior ministry statement.



Media reports suggest that PTI chief Imran Khan persuaded the interior minister to allow the rally when the two men were travelling on a London-bound flight last week.

The PTI chief had given the government until April 24 to constitute a judicial commission under the incumbent chief justice of the top court to probe Panama Papers leaks.

Through a trove of over 11.5 million leaked documents, the Panama Papers revealed earlier this month that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s three children were among the thousands of wealthy people from across the globe, who had stashed away their money in offshore companies.

The PTI chief had said the PTI would launch a fresh movement against the government and stage a sit-in at the prime minister’s family residence in Raiwind if the demand was not accepted.  He also vowed that he would not end the sit-in this time until Prime Minister Nawaz stepped down.

Meanwhile, PTI Information Secretary Naeemul Haq held a meeting with the local leadership in connection with the foundation day preparations on Saturday.

The party also notified, as per announcement of Imran Khan, a 27-member political committee headed by Shah Mehmood Qureshi. The committee would devise the PTI’s strategy with regards to the Panama leaks and other political issues.  The party has tasked Asad Umar to oversee the April 24 celebrations.



PM’s stay in London

Earlier in the day, the PTI expressed concern over the conflicting statements of two cabinet members regarding the prime minister’s stay in London and asked the government to reveal how long the PM intended to stay abroad.

State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had issued conflicting statements on the issue, with one of them claiming that the prime minister would stay in the UK for one and a half week while the other claimed he would stay for more than a month.

“The government should tell the nation as to how long the prime minister will stay abroad and who will take care of government matters in his absence?” asked Haq.“Oversight of government affairs by the prime minister’s daughter [Maryam Nawaz] is a cause for concern,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2016.