Expressing satisfaction at his party’s ‘Peace March’, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan dispelled impressions that his party workers turned back from Waziristan due to some “invisible pressure”.
Addressing the media on Monday, Khan expressed his satisfaction over his party’s peace rally which tried to march into South Waziristan to protest against United States’ drone strikes in Pakistan’s territory.
“Backtracking from Waziristan’s border was not our failure,” he said, pointing out the danger participants were facing by being in the area at night. “Fear was instilled among the participants.”
In response to a query regarding the postponement of the march after a telephone call from some unknown institution, the PTI chief alleged that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief might be in the habit of backtracking plans after telephone calls, not his party — referring to the long march for the restoration of the supreme judiciary led by Nawaz Sharif when he returned back from Gujranwala.
He also lashed out on Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman who termed the foreign participants of the rally “Yahood-o-Nasara”. “It is very shameful to scandalise them, who joined the peace march on humanitarian basis,” said Khan.
Responding to the accusations made by Khan, JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman said: “Khan lacks the vision and only wants publicity in international media.”
If the PTI chairman had asked him, he would have invited him over to his house, Rehman said adding: “We don’t mistreat our guests; we serve them with better things.”
Talking to media in Islamabad, Rehman added that Khan was clueless about the tribal customs and traditions as he was not brought up in this culture.
‘PTI accomplishes its mission’
Meanwhile, former attorney general Malik Abdul Qayyam has said that PTI had gracefully accomplished its mission to raise their voice against drone strikes across the world and all the credit goes to the dynamic leadership of Khan.
“He kept under control thousands of emotionally-charged workers; no confrontation took place at any stage and the protesters throughout remained peaceful. That was a rare example. Once again it was proved that he has the capability to accept challenges and fulfil commitments,” said the PTI leader.
PTI leader joins PPP
Meanwhile, a PTI leader from Chakwal, Sanaul Haq on Monday quit the party after developing differences with PTI’s leadership; informed sources told The Express Tribune. He joined the Pakistan Peoples Party along with his supporters, they revealed.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 9th, 2012.
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