PTI Islamabad members to court arrest next week

Party leaders including Asad Umar, Ali Nawaz Awan and Raja Khurram Nawaz to participate in Jail Bharo Tehreek

ISLAMABAD:

As part of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) 'Jail Bharo' Tehreek, the party announced on Sunday that its members in the federal capital will voluntarily give their arrests to the authorities next week.

The announcement was made at a meeting of the PTI Islamabad Region Advisory Council, chaired by former MNA Ali Nawaz Awan.

Hundreds of party members including Asad Umar, Awan and Raja Khurram Nawaz will present themselves for arrests in Islamabad.

Awan stated that if the police do not make arrests, the PTI members will stage a protest in front of the police station. "We are fighting for the future of Pakistan," said the PTI leader.

Read PTI threatens 'Jail Bharo Tehreek' if Punjab polls delayed

On Friday, PTI Chairman Imran Khan had announced that the Jail Bharo Tehreek would start from Lahore next week in protest against economic instability and the alleged crackdown on party leaders and workers.

“I am directing my party to start preparations for the launch of the movement on February 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.”

The former prime minister had warned that after the Jail Bharo Tehreek, the country's rulers would find no place empty in prisons.

Imran had said that the movement is in response to the government’s roughshod tactics to muzzle the opposition party through “politically motivated” cases.

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

Read More PTI says ‘Jail Bharo’ drive starts with ex-MNA's arrest

“If they desire to arrest us, we will fulfill 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 had said. “It will break the idol of fear.”

According to the details of the Jail Bharo Tehreek released by the PTI, arrests will be given in phases.

On the first day of the movement, 200 workers and five leaders from Lahore and on the second day, 200 party workers and five leaders from Peshawar would take part in the movement.

Daily, the party leaders and workers from a city would present themselves for arrest. At least, 3,000 workers from major cities of Pakistan will participate in the movement.

The movement's focal person Senator Ijaz Chaudhry told the party chief that he would personally review the preparations for the movement.