PTI’s ‘Jail Bharo’ drive to start from Lahore on 22nd

Imran alleges party leaders being threatened, coerced into signing ‘fake statements’

LAHORE:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Friday announced that his party’s ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ would start from Lahore next week in protest against economic instability and the alleged crackdown on PTI leaders and workers.

Addressing party supporters from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore via video link, the former prime minister warned that after the ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’, the rulers would find no place empty in prisons.

“I am directing my party to start preparations for the launch of the movement on Feb 22, Wednesday,” he said. “We will start the movement from Lahore, and then kick it off in all other major cities every other day and we will fill all the jails.”

Earlier this month, the PTI chief had announced that his party leadership would soon start “courting arrests” in response to the government’s roughshod tactics to muzzle the opposition party through “politically motivated” cases.

Imran pointed out that several party leaders in custody were tortured. “Shehbaz Gill was tortured, Azam Swati was stripped naked. Such actions have not been taken against political opponents in the past,” he said.

“The treatment meted out to Sheikh Rashid and Fawad Chaudhry is in front of everyone. What happened to Arshad Sharif is also in front of everyone,” he continued. Those who “tortured us on May 25 [during the PTI long march last year] are imposed again”.

Imran alleged that his party leaders were being threatened with dire consequences, including threats to their families, and coerced to sign “fake statements”. “Our people are being arrested and made to sign fake statements,” he said.

“If they desire to arrest us, we will fulfil it through the ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’. “Don’t scare us with jails. When our movement starts, there will be no space left in jails,” he said. “It will break the idol of fear.”

He expressed gratitude to his supporters who had assembled outside his Lahore residence when rumours circulated of his supposed arrest. Imran said that whatever they do, “we will not let them rig the elections”.

The PTI chairman expressed concerns over the government’s tactics to delay elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), saying that if polls were not held within 90 days of the dissolution of the assemblies, the caretaker governments would be deemed illegal.

“They [caretaker governments] will be violating the Article 6 of the Constitution [if they remain in power after 90 days].”

He also slammed the Election Commission of Pakistan for making excuses to delay the polls in both the provinces.

Economic instability

Imran expressed deep concern that the overseas Pakistanis had started withdrawing their investments because of the government’s poor performance and economic instability in the country.

He said that a country could stand up again even after being hit by two atom bombs – a reference to the recovery of Japan after the World War II. He defended his government’s agreement with the IMF, saying: “We took tough decisions but did not raise prices.”

On the issue of recent audio leaks, the PTI chairman fired a broadside at Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah. “Rana Sana had excitedly said that he had the audio of judges. Rana Sana had himself said that we had the audio tapes of the people.”