PTI’s long march hits the road again
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan told supporters via video-link on Thursday they should keep up ‘Azadi March’, a week after he suffered wounds in a gun attack, and he dismissed a police report that a lone shooter tried to kill him.
The former prime minister was wounded last Thursday in the shooting at a rally in Wazirabad, part of a rolling march that he has led to press for a general election, since he was ousted in a parliament vote in April.
Imran addressed a few hundred workers who relaunched the march in Wazirabad. "Our march wouldn't stop," Imran said, adding the protest will instead gather strength as it closes in on the federal capital.
The PTI chairman has been leading public rallies to demand snap polls since his ouster by a joint opposition. He said nothing could deter him from going ahead as long as the snap polls were not called, adding that he would join the protest march in Rawalpindi in some days. "I will not back off as long as I'm alive," he said.
The former prime minister said that the “plan” to assassinate him was first formulated in September which was “unearthed in a public rally on September 24”.
“All eyes are on the top court now as the nation has lost trust in the institutions,” Imran said, adding, “Pakistan is becoming a banana republic.”
"You [Supreme Court’s chief justice] have to save the country. The nation has lost trust in institutions. You have to fix this as the country doesn’t work without institutions.”
The former prime minister said that it is unimaginable in western countries what is happening in Pakistan these days. “When will the country’s law give protection,” Imran asked.
The PTI chief also said it was a miracle that so many people survived the attack.
Imran also hailed Ibtesam – the young man whose quick thinking had saved the former prime minister – for his “heroic effort”. He also announced again that the party will “take lifetime responsibility” for the children of the victim who lost his life during the attack.
“Our march will not end,” vowed Imran as he reiterated his commitment to the establishment of justice.
Continuing his criticism, the PTI chief said that the senior military officer was behind “what they have done to us, to the journalists, and what they did to Arshad Sharif and what they did to Azam Swati”.
Earlier, a large number of PTI supporters gathered at the site where former premier was attacked in Wazirabad.
The march was kicked off by PTI leader and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. He was flanked by other party leaders including Hammad Azhar, Faisal Javed, also among those injured in the attack on Imran, Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry among others.
The party had halted its march following the assassination attempt.
Addressing party supporters, Qureshi said that Imran will address the march’s participants every day via video link and will join them in Rawalpindi, before he announced the party chief will be addressing the crowd shortly.
“Those who attacked the PTI government through conspiracy had thought that the party will dismantle when it will be out of power” he said, adding that the rally in Wazirabad was proof that the people were with the PTI and that the party “will stand its ground”.
Deeming it nature's work, he highlighted that “they” had tried to silence senior journalist Arshad Sharif, but now his truth was evident. He added that “they” tried to torture Azam Swati, but Swati has now become “a symbol of courage across the country”.
“These merciless cowards tried to kill Imran Khan, but today every home has become Imran Khan,” he said.
PTI ended the sit-ins on the fourth day from the main roads of Rawalpindi, removed the obstacles and restored traffic on Murree Road, Airport, Swan Bridge and IJP Road.
Meanwhile, educational institutions in Rawalpindi remained closed for the third day today despite district administrations ordering all educational institutions in Islamabad to remain open as all the roads inside the federal capital were open. The district administration has also issued a notification regarding keeping educational institutions open