Thousands of workers will court arrest: PTI

Party says no one is exempted from the movement, including Imran

LAHORE:

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday disclosed the schedule for the ‘Jail Bharo’ movement, declaring that 200 party workers and around seven PTI legislators and leaders would voluntarily give their arrest to the authorities on Wednesday – the first day of the movement.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan had announced the movement to protest against the violations of the Constitution and press the coalition government to hold elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

While addressing a news conference, PTI Senator and the focal person of the ‘Jail Bharo’ movement Ejaz Chaudhary said that thousands of their party workers would gather at Faisal Chowk and the volunteers would offer their arrests.

“No one is exempted from the movement, including the PTI chairman. The party will decide who will give their arrests from which city and on which day,” he added.

The focal person said, “As per the schedule, the PTI activists will give arrests in Peshawar on Feb 23, in Rawalpindi on Feb 24, in Multan on Feb 25, in Gujranwala on Feb 26, in Sargodha on Feb 27, in Sahiwal on Feb 28 and in Faisalabad on Feb 29. After this, a new schedule will be announced for the movement.”

The PTI leader said they would stage a sit-in if the authorities did not put them behind bars. “It will be a peaceful protest against the government’s oppression and we will not resort to any kind of violence,” he added.

According to him, the movement aimed to stop the violation of the Constitution and fundamental rights. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the incumbent government were refusing to implement the Constitution and the court decisions by not holding elections in Punjab and K-P within 90 days after the dissolution of the provincial assemblies.

At this time, the 90-day period in Punjab almost expired while the K-P governor, who signed a summary for the dissolution of the K-P assembly, had not given a date for the fresh elections.

While condemning the terrorist attack in Karachi, he said that the cause behind the recent wave of terrorism in the country was the poor policy of the incumbent rulers “This is not the outcome of a deal with a terrorist outfit.”

To a question on the alleged pressure tactic on judges, he said that the interior minister should resign and be arrested for defaming the judiciary and judges, adding that the Sharif family always had an attitude of either buying judges or attacking the courts. “They have a habit of dictating the judges to get favourable decisions,” he added.