ISLAMABAD:
Imran Khan’s rally today at the historic Liaquat Bagh, situated at the confluence of the army headquarters and parliament, appears to be a make-or-break event for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI).
It will also be the first significant political show by the PTI since the retirement of former intelligence chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, who has been blamed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz for supporting Khan.
Leaders claim that “the PTI tsunami will restore moral disapprobation to corruption, and the campaign will offer the emerging political party an opportunity to show its power to the PML-N.”
Khan is likely to announce his party’s strategy for the next parliamentary elections. Arrangements to attract hundreds of thousands of people to Liaquat Bagh have been finalised, complete with the formation of 10 committees working on a strategy to make the event a success.
“It will be the first time that the PTI will meet people of the garrison city … a big show will prove which party is really highlighting the issues of masses,” said PTI leader Ishaq Khan Khakwani.
Party members say that the main objective of the rally is to force the government to implement the Supreme Court’s orders, inform the public about how the government gave in to US pressure to reopen Nato supply routes as well as to set up grounds for kicking off a political fight against the PML-N.
“This rally will be as a litmus test for the local PML-N leadership as well,” said chief organiser Amir Mehmood Kiani. The PML-N, however, does not seem so impressed. According to Shakeel Awan, a PML-N MNA from Rawalpindi, the “head of the Metrological Department (General Pasha)” has retired, so the so-called tsunami has not been working out.
He added that the rally will only prove how the PTI has failed to stand on its own feet, and will be the first political rally in which locals will not participate. “We will fully facilitate the PTI to organise the rally, but cannot guarantee that people will turn up,” he claimed. The PML-N leadership has long claimed that Rawalpindi is their stronghold since most of their lawmakers in parliament are from the city.
Meanwhile, party officials said special security arrangements will be made and PTI workers will be deputed in residential areas, including Arya Mohalla. Organisers also claim to have designed over 150,000 banners inscribed with slogans against the leadership. “We hope over 100,000 people will attend the rally,” said Kiani.
PTI organisers dealing with financial matters told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity that an estimated Rs9 million to Rs10 million will be spent on the upcoming rally. All PTI leaders are contributing, they said.
He added that the district government will make all security arrangements.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 27th, 2012.
COMMENTS (77)
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@Mohammad Awais: Oh no you are wrong my friend. There were only 50 people there. The rest were photoshopped in.
someone please tell IK that a 'tsunami' is not a good thing :)
what is new in IK speech, all old blames, which he will never prove in the Court.
@Mohammad Awais
I did not see even 10000 there, but again I am blind as a bat. I think you can sleep tight now my dear friend.
@qayyum : i smell a whiff of fakeness in your statement :)
I myself saw the jalsa of PTI in Liaquat Bagh. Not more than 15,000 people there. had there been 50,000 people, all roads would have been blocked. Plz talk sense..... somebody says there are 150,000 people. Moreover, people from Jhelum, Murree, Chakwal, and all surrounding districts and tehsils were brought. That was not jalsa specific to Pindi only.
PMLN zindabad.Inshallah PMLN again
A question: almost all local transport vans of Rawalpindi and Islamabad were hired by PTI. From where that much money came? Huge spending was made on floodlights in the Liaquat Bagh. Who paid for it? Who is funding PTI? Give that much funds to Perverz Musharraf, he will also bring about tsunami. And keep in mind what tsumani means - great destruction.
When is it going to start? Is the PTI going to keep people waiting till late I have work tomorrow at 9.
Watching it on live stream, I can easily say there were easily more than 150000 people's there. PTI zzindabad.
The only newspaper that is complete giving coverage to the PTI Jalsa.... well done Express Tribune!!!
Love you PTI and ISF- I am watching from Canada on live stream and it is great.
Be part of the History at http://www.livestream.com/ptilivestream
Watching the live stream.. over 100,000 present at the rally.. and about 15000 people watching it online.
@ Qayyum if your words are true then this is the biggest charity for Pakistani people to save from PMLN and PPP from PTI, IK will do the politics with these people on ground not angels from sky... its up to the leader how to manage.
History has been made!!!
PTI needs to focus on their media presence. There is a complete media blackout of the rally.
IPL final is underway now. Comments on ET and participants in rally have slowed down considerably. If rally organizers had some brain, they would have telecast IPL live in rally. After Tsunami's success, its cricket matches where we would be spending most of our times.
LIVE UPDATES???? please if u can!!
pti zindabad love u ik
@ Arif, how true what you are saying.Imran Khan's track record should open people's eyes, I don't know any other leader who had built a hospital for the people and college for future generations.The rest of them has accumulated wealth by thievery and stashed in foreign banks. Yes Pakistan needs fresh leadership.
@Chilli Imran Khan is no Benazir. He is supported by the establishment, and is an apologist of terrorists. Don't worry for him, he'll be safe for some time.
@Ahmed: You proved my point. I mentioned the word Pakistani in brackets... At PTI we believe in Pakistani identity. I am personally of the view that in Pakistan, one should have the guts to stand for elections in any constituency of Pakistan.
In Rawalpindi InshaAllah we will win! PTI Zindabad
@PakJam:
You can not force any person to join any party. If PTI has vote bank it can pick any candidate from any region. However, if PTI does not have even candidates from a particular region then how come it would have votes there. Simple as that.
In Rawalpindi, votes are not generally associated with local or external candidate factor. Example are Javed Hashmi defeating Shaikh Rasheed. And also voters are not personality conscious, example is Hanif Abbasi (JI at that time) defeating nephew of Shaikh Rasheed from the seat vacated be Shaikh Rasheed.
Furthermore, in Rawalpindi, people do not buy "Street, Sewerage Lines" politics as well. If you do not believe ask PML-Q who did un precedented development work but could not buy votes from this.
So, PTI has to be clear that Rawalpindi is not like any other city in the Pakistan. Here nobody can do ethnic, linguistic, or incentive based politics.
We know what Imran would say in rally, but we don't know what IPL's result would be. Therefore its better to spend time on what we don't know. Imran, himself would prefer IPL match rather listening himself. Rally is a waste of time.
go imran go ..the whole pindi is supporting u... v r fedup of the corrupt politicians....
Word in Sindh is that PTI is spending up to 5 crore on MPAs and 10crore on MNAs as I have been in contact with a former MPA of Q League Who cannot decide whether to join PMLN or PTI in Sindh. This is necessarily the case because that MPA is a close family friend, and all my hopes with PTI had shattered when they came to Karachi and failed to speak out against that political party which runs things here. It's saddening to see the politics of the new PTI, when Imran was alone I supported him.
ooh look plastic chairs!
Oh the ugly and scary Liaquat Bagh a killing field of patriotic leaders. May Allah Save Imran from evil forces.
i dont want to waste my time in such aimless rallies IK has done nothing his home work yet that with the reference of which frame work what he will do?but instead of it he wants only power at any cost. only words are not enough. my dear friends when i see and read the histories of developed countries it becomes obvious to me that the political parties of their countries have real zeal and zest n which is only reflexive to their manifesto. but in for example in USA during their election campaign i didnt see that either OBAMA or MACcAN are taunting each other but only stick to policies, facts and figures. but in pakistan IK ha ha has only manifesto like NOORA kushti or MUKMUKA on which his whole politics based on.SO be wise my friends.
mashallah '10 million Rupees' rally . God , facebook and money on tsunammi;'s side.
@geeko:
Dear which vote bank you are talking about? PTI has never seriously contested elections so far.
PTI won one seat in NA a long time ago (and that of Imran Khan himself) and afterwards it is boycotting every next elections. PTI is yet to enetr in the formal electoral process as a party. I am saying so becasue it has never entered Parliament as a party; there are many one-member parties so I assume IK's erstwhile membership of NA does not constitute as PTI being part of parliament,
Some sources claims that sheikh rasheed is also coming is that true... ??
Although I am in UAE now, I was Karachi in time for the 25 December PTI jalsa <3 LOVED it. I had to take a bus from one corner of Karachi to the other. It seemed like the WHOLE city was going to the jalsa! All the best for today's jalsa, Imran Khan!
@Freeman:
Dear I am sorry to bring this up, but how many times you have actually voted. PTI boycotted 2008 elections and for this PTI should accept its mistake that it allowed other parties free chance to do their politics. Then again they boycotted resulting in non-represenatation from Election Committee, PTI itself is to blame for it. Now I hope they do not boycott next coming elections.
Who barrowed these plastic chairs!
@Khurram: PPP is doing itself a great job to destroy it's only - yes, you read it - vote-bank in Sindh (Lyari operation.) The "cake" is now Punjab : PTI's already first in KPK and Balochistan, and Sindh is their next target, but for the moment their plan is to win Punjab, and Rawalpindi, the fortress of PML-N, will have a symbolic effect.
Mind you, PTI is technically the only "national" party, as it has a strong vote-bank in every part of the country : as I said, PPP's only area is (in the near future, was) restricted to ethnic Sindh and some parts of southern Punjab, whereas PML-N never had any credible weight outside Punjab.
Rawalpindi and Pothohar have always inclination towards party votes. No matters whats are the odds of party winning but votes always remained attached to parties and not personalities. This will remain true in coming elections as well.
In my opinion, PML-N has still edge in Rawalpindi politics. PPP always maintains its vote bank whatever it is. If anything is going to change, it would be new voters, voting for the first time. Lets see about that...........
@ali: Pakistani expats are buying expansive air tickets to join PTI rally and you.....ahhh.
Good luck for the change in Pakistan, overseas Pakistani are keen to see the progress of PTI..
@Zamir Malik: if you think you are leader for potoharis (Pakistanis), why don't you join PTI and contest for party elections? No body has stopped you. Mind you,in elections, potoharis(Pakistanis) will only vote for PTI and not any other ghissi pitti party. including (Sheikh Rasheed)
We are in Karachi and we welcome PTI for another Tsunami here...
Can't join today,,, but Vote is for PTI - Karachi has Changed.
I like, big sporter PTI may pti succeeded.
Best of Luck, show the braveness to the circus lion.
If we can give many chances to PPP and PML N then why not give just one chance to Imran Khan. I am sure he will not be worst than current govt. Why so much arguments and picking words from the speeches, kindly be logical and let's give him just one chance. He did what he thought and we all know about him.
Only people of other cities will be seen here and some burger bacha bachis from Islamabad Local Rawalpindi residents are not interested.
@Khurram: I can't agree with you. We are voter of PTI and you cannot decide for future of PTI. PTI Graph will increase more and more in future.
PPP and ANP already finished so there is no need to talk about them. Imran khan so many times talked about PPP as well so this IS not true that PTI only obssessed about PML(N).
Imran khan's speech:
Mian sb. jan deo sadi bari aan deo. Mian sb asli sher bano aur isamlion se resign do. Mian nawaz sharif is responsible for all the ills in this country. Mian sb. is responsible for problems in sindh Mian sb is responsible for missimg persons and bad governance in balochistan. Mian sb........aisa jalsa kar ke dikhao. Mian sb.................... Mian sb..................................... Mian sb.............................................
PTI on fire
I would like to quote something from an article recently published:
"I’m afraid, from a junior Bhutto to a senior Sharif we wouldn’t be left with a lot of choices if this is how we chose our leaders.
And speaking of leaders, I support Imran Khan because the leaders that my votes have put in power don’t inspire me. My life is difficult as it is, and I don’t have patience for a detached world where corrupt billionaires play victims and democracy serves the purpose of revenge. I have had enough.
Imran Khan speaks of my realities. His aspirations for my country are similar to mine. So what should I do? Should I stubbornly tell myself that no, good things can never happen to me, and painstakingly find arguments that feed my scepticism? Or should I get up and say: Ok, it seems very difficult, I don’t know how this man is going to do it, but then look at his track record. He is not an angel from the heavens, but he is credible. Credible, but human nevertheless, who like all humans is bound to make mistakes.
So let’s not attack him before he has even starts. Let’s help him out. He probably needs it."
How about a long march to the Punjab assembly?
best of luck PTI
PML N in for a big surprise IA
Good luck IK and PTI. Give a shut up to those who say that PTI is nothing and supported by agencies.
Had there been no exams of mine next week... i would have definitely gone there...
:-(
first significant political show? maybe you forgot the massive quetta jalsa?
how is it a make or break event? what does that even mean? Pti is a reality. pml-n can remain skeptics....but they are in for a big shock come election day..
@ali: beta, glad to see someone has their priorities straight.
@Everyone
I am just not attending the jalsa, but vote is for PTI
no one has noticed that pti is spending 9 to 10 million on only one rallly??? is it not joke? how they will bring change ? is this not nonsense with this poor country? spent this money for welfare of poor not for Rally. this is not change but another feudalism...
PTI Zindabad.
In the eyes of media, this guy, called Imran Khan, has continuously been making history ever since he entered politics. But it still remains to be proved. His so-called success is confined so far to his " historical " (or hysterical) speeches. I sincerely hope that he will not find a fresh excuse to bycott
Who are performinf today at this rally. If its known it will help attract music lovers.
@ali: ah...Thats not a world cup final!! Common dude!!
Liaquat Bagh jalsa is going to be a shutup call for all those saying PTI is supported by agencies..!
Wishing IK and entire PTI best of luck.
@ali U gotta wake up boy, IPL or Pakistan ? faisla aap ka.
@ali: what a shame
I wanted to be part of the revolution, but cant miss the IPL final
It will be another Tsunami. PTI youth wing, ISF, is strong and will make this event a success. I am sure that resident of twin cities will come out as we did in Balochistan. Wish good luck.
Best of luck.