Imran hints at turning Islamabad long march into prolonged sit-in

Hinting at a prolonged stay in Islamabad for his planned long march towards the federal capital, former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said on Thursday that the ocean of people will not leave the capital until "they get a date for free and transparent elections".

"We only want one thing and that is elections and do not want the imported government. We want independence via free and transparent elections. The ocean of people will not leave Islamabad until we get a date for the elections," he said while addressing party workers in K-P House in Islamabad.

Imran said that the last public gathering will be held in Multan tomorrow (Friday) before the long march and he will announce the date for the anti-government long march.

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"Tomorrow I will reveal the day when the entire nation will reach Islamabad on my call for real independence," he said.

The PTI chief said that the reason for his long march is to achieve true independence in the country. "We don't want independence where we say that we're independent but we are dictated by foreign countries that you cannot buy oil and wheat from Russia," he added.

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Imran further said that when a nation is fully independent, it makes all the decisions for the betterment of its people. "Their rulers do not sacrifice their people for the wishes of others. I will need your passion and courage for this long march. Our destination is near."