Mahmood Achakzai announces nationwide movement if Imran Khan not released

Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai on Sunday threatened to launch a nationwide campaign if Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan was not released.

He made these remarks while addressing PTI’s rally in Sangjani on the outskirts of Islamabad.

Achakzai claimed PTI enjoys unprecedented support from millions of people.

“I want to send a message to Imran Khan through PTI leaders that all the revolutions that took place in the world did not have the same popular support as you do,” he said, adding that the basic condition for revolution was organisation, which PTI lacked.

Party leader Sher Afzal Marwat said PTI will hold its next rally in Lahore and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur will lead a huge convoy to Punjab.

He stated that those associated with Form 45 mocked PTI and challenged them to hold a rally in Punjab. “We will enter Punjab, and I expect at least 50,000 people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to join me. We will also carry supplies for four to five days in case we need to walk along the way.”

Their remarks come on a day when it was chaos around the federal capital. The Islamabad police began arresting individuals heading to the event from 26 Number Chongi after the deadline for the rally ended.

The police resorted to shelling to disperse the crowd and also took a TV reporter into custody. He was later released.

The development comes after the Islamabad district administration issued a notification directing the PTI leadership to vacate the rally venue as the deadline for the gathering had passed.

In its no-objection certificate (NOC), the administration had allowed PTI until 7pm to conclude the rally – their first political gathering in the federal capital after general elections.

The rally in Sangjani was scheduled to start at 4pm, but the convoys from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Sindh arrived late.

At the outset of the rally, party leader Hammad Azhar addressed a charged crowd, saying “We all have gathered here today to establish the rule of law and the supremacy of the Constitution in the country.”

He said that no obstacle would deter them today. “We will, God willing, secure Imran Khan’s release.”

Speaking during the rally, PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan demanded Imran’s release and lamented how the party’s leaders were being “sidelined” by the government.

“I never thought there would be a day that Imran Khan, who formed our party to save Pakistan, would be put in jail,” Ali Muhammad said.

The district administration had earlier warned that if the agreement was violated, future no objection certificates (NOCs) for rallies would be denied.

Police block Islamabad’s entry points ahead of rally

In the first part of the day, the capital’s entry points and exit points had been sealed off by authorities, as well as containers placed at various locations in anticipation of the rally.

PTI rally today: Khan introduces major changes to party’s organizational structure

At the rally site Sunday morning, police found hand grenades, rocket launchers, and detonators, prompting them to call the bomb disposal team.

This rally was scheduled near the Sangjani area, and the leadership of the PTI had already visited the venue.

On Saturday evening, PTI leader Asad Qaiser along with Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ayine Pakistan chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai visited the venue of the rally to take stock of the situation.

Talking to reporters, Qaiser said that a sea of people would gather in Islamabad and demand the release of their leader Imran Khan.

PTI reschedules rally for Sept 8 after NOC cancellation, closure of roads

He said that no one can save ‘puppet rulers’ this time, adding we want justice as our votes were stolen and our leaders have been put in jail in concocted cases. Achakzai said that the rally will be held at all costs.

Meanwhile, founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan introduced major organizational changes ahead of the rally.

In a significant move, Khan decided to separate the party’s parliamentary affairs from its political activities. Opposition Leader Omar Ayub and Senator Shibli Faraz were appointed to lead the parliamentary team, while renowned lawyer Salman Akram Raja took over as PTI’s secretary general, responsible for overseeing political matters.

IK ‘explains’ why PTI rally rescheduled

Additionally, a think tank led by Raoof Hasan was also established to focus on government performance and electoral issues. This body will be tasked with drafting a white paper on these matters.

Imran Khan had earlier ordered the postponement of the public gathering scheduled for August 22 due to fears of chaos.

The former premier said that if they had held the August 22 public gathering they would have been blamed for another ‘May 9 melodrama’.