Imran’s party gets into agitation mode

LAHORE:

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has once again announced that it will launch countrywide protests against skyrocketing inflation, electricity and gas outages and overall deteriorating economic situation of the country from Friday (today) after the National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf refused to accept the resignations of party’s MNAs en masse.

A PTI delegation met the speaker at the Parliament House on the issue of confirmation of the resignations of its lawmakers.

Former speaker Asad Qaiser, former deputy speaker Qasim Suri, PTI chief whip Aamir Dogar, former minister of state Dr Shabbir Qureshi, Faheem Khan, Attaullah, Amjad Khan Niazi, Tahir Iqbal, Zahid Akram Durrani, and others were part of the delegation.

During the meeting, the speaker said that the decision regarding the confirmation of resignations will be made according to the Constitution of Pakistan and the rules and regulations of the National Assembly.

He reiterated that all the members will be called individually for the resignations.

The former ruling party's delegation submitted the demands in writing to the speaker, stating that the members had resigned collectively to pave the way for general elections in the country.

On the other hand, according to sources in the speaker's office, Ashraf had once again invited the PTI to return to the house, suggesting: “Elections are only a few months away, come to parliament and play your role.”

Protest

In the first phase, the PTI lawmakers will lead protest demonstrations in their constituencies for three weeks after which PTI Chairman Imran Khan will lead the movement that will continue till the announcement of the next general elections. Imran has urged the people to join the protest and voice their concerns.

Former federal minister and PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry made the announcement while speaking to the media outside the PTI chairman’s residence at Zaman Park on Thursday.

He said the decision to launch the movement was made by the party chief during a meeting of senior party leaders. The former prime minster will join his supporters in the protest after three weeks, he added.

Fawad reiterated that there was no room for a technocrat government in Pakistan and the people would not accept it at any circumstances. “There was no provision in the Constitution for a technocrat government and thus elections were the only way out,” he underlined, adding that his party strongly rejected any such proposal.

He said the incumbent rulers were so scared of elections that they were willing to accept a technocrat regime. “We warn everyone, including the establishment, to think twice before making any such move. All their schemes and ideas of the past eight months have failed badly. Any such plan would meet the same fate as people of Pakistan are not ready to accept anything beyond the Constitution of Pakistan,” he maintained, asking them not to treat Pakistanis as a “lab rat” and focus on fresh elections.

On the Punjab Assembly matter, he maintained that they had a majority in the house and thus they had the right to continue or dissolve the Punjab Assembly anytime.

He claimed that some of their provincial legislators were offered bribes in the form of foreign trips in exchange for abstaining from the vote of confidence. “They should rest assure, we will defeat horse trading by securing the vote of confidence and subsequently move towards dissolution,” he added.

To a question on the PTI MNAs’ resignations, Fawad said the party would not accept individual verification. No PTI MNA was ready to be a part of the current assembly. “We have decided to approach the Supreme Court for a solution to this problem,” he added.

He also disclosed that during a meeting between the PTI chief and the senators, inhuman treatment of Senator Azam Swati came under discussion, adding that Swati was being kept in a jail in violation of the law and rules. “Coming Monday, the PTI will hold a protest outside the building where Swati is being kept,” he added.

He maintained that the senator had rightly expressed his concerns, adding that he (Swati) was a victim of the worst kind of human rights violation.

Earlier, the PTI senators denounced the inhuman treatment meted out to PTI Senator Swati, demanding that they should be permitted to meet him. PTI Senators Shahzad Waseem, Ejaz Chaudhary and Faisal Javed expressed these views while addressing the media after a meeting with the PTI chairman on Thursday.

They claimed that the Senate was not issuing a production order for Swati and the whole episode had put a big question mark on the judiciary. They also claimed that no one was permitted to meet the senator. “We demand that we should be given access to Swati and he should be kept in a regular jail.” They reminded the media that freedom of expression was not limited to the media.

“The PTI chairman has directed us to continue with the protests [for Swati] in front of the Supreme Court,” they added.

They said that those who were absconding from the law were returning to Pakistan; “they all knew that when they would get a bail”.

“The law should be equal for all; the coalition parties have also been very critical of the institutions in the past,” they added.

“We held a meeting with the former premier in which Imran shared plans for the upcoming Senate sessions,” they said, adding that they were of the firm view that fresh elections were the only solution to take the country forward.

As per the sources, during the meeting with the senators, the former prime minister told them to highlight the abuse of human rights in the case of Swati and also raise a strong voice on the floor of the Senate.

The PTI chief observed that violations of human rights were continuing unabated, lamenting the rulers for blatantly violating constitutional as well as human rights.

The meeting also decided that the senators would again raise their voices before the judiciary.

Meanwhile, Punjab chief minister spokesperson and PTI leader Musarrat Jamshed Cheema said that the so-called “experienced” cabal imposed on this country was rapidly swallowing a country of more than 220 million.

“After long conspiracies with great effort, an incompetent gang was imposed on us to weaken the country. Now, it's an open secret that Ishaq Dar has come on a mission to bankrupt this country.

“His flight is ready to fly back and all the robbers, including Dar, will flee as soon as this country is declared bankrupt.”

After the textile industry, she highlighted, the automobile industry was also on the decline due to the worst economic conditions in the country and automobile manufacturing companies were closing down their plants.

She said the fascist government tried every tactic against the PTI but failed. In the last eight months, “we have been shot at, our houses attacked, fake audios have been used and our leaders have been tortured and stripped naked to remind us of pharaohs, but our morale is high and this corrupt gang will be defeated in every field”. Despite every “tactic of the imported government against us”, the PTI was the most popular party in the country, she added.

Today, the word "election" had become the PDM's weak point across the country. “These people are running away from elections like the Sharif family is shy of 'halal' substances,” she said, adding that they would have to go to the elections and the people would take account of every barbarity from them. “The people will never accept the technocrat set-up and this country will be run by the people,” she concluded.