'Civil disobedience'

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday announced to launch a 'Civil Disobedience Movement' against the incumbent government if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif did not quit 'within 48-hours.
-- Imran overplays his hand: asks people not to pay taxes, utility bills; says his PTI workers will take over parliament, PM's House if PM does not quit within two days
-- Qadri also steps up pressure on the Sharifs
-- Govt still struggles to articulate befitting response, banks increasingly on allies, PPP, MQM, JI, ANP
Addressing his party's tens of thousands charged supporters on Kashmir Highway amidst cheers and anti-government slogans, Imran said that he was going to make the most important speech of his 18-year-old political career.
"The sit-in will continue for two more days. Mian Sahab, please, tender a resignation because after two days your time will be over," he warned, adding, he didn't want a martial law in the country.
"I want democracy and want things to take place in a democratic way as the imposition of martial law will be dangerous for the country, so in such circumstances we've no option but to go for civil disobedience," he declared.
He called upon his party supporters, businessmen and people listening to his speech in each and every nook of the country to participate in the civil disobedience movement and stop paying their taxes and utility bills unless Nawaz Sharif resigns.
"Never surrender before oppression and injustice. Take a stand," Khan said, adding, "go for a civil disobedience and even against me in case you find me doing injustice".
Khan said that he could have asked his supporters to storm into Parliament and Prime Minister's House but then he was apprehensive about the security of the policemen deployed for the security of the Red Zone.
"These people [policemen] have little children and they are looking after their families...if I ordered my workers, the policemen would be killed. I don't want that to happen. I have promised with my friend Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan (Interior Minister) to ask his prime minister to step down or else I'll not be able to stop the crowd from proceeding to Prime Minister House," he added.
Reiterating his allegations against Nawaz Sharif and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Imran said that for the next two days, Azadi marchers would regularly gather at the protest site at 7pm and demand the resignation from the premier.
Khan addressing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said, "Please make my life easier and yours by tendering a resignation. I'm giving you only two days to resign after which I will not be able to stop this tsunami from entering the Parliament House and dragging you out from the Prime Minister House," Khan repeatedly appealed to his supporters not to give up and stay for the sit-in till their demands were met. He earlier created some suspense saying that the sit-in will remain continue for a week, then reduced it to three days and finally gave two days' ultimatum to the Prime Minister to walk away in an honourable manner.
He assured the crowd that he would not abandon them and would stay at the sit-in site.
Imran Khan, whose party emerged as the third largest political party in May 11, 2013 general elections, said the corrupt government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was plundering people's money and neither judiciary nor the anti-graft bodies dare open his corruption cases.
"We've no option except dragging him (Nawaz Sharif) out from the Prime Minister House and make him accountable for all the corruption he has committed," he declared while repeating different corruption allegations against him, but told his supporters that their protests should be without bloodshed.
He said that the workers of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) killed in a clash with police in Lahore on June 17 would not be able to get justice unless Prime Minister Sharif was in power.
The PTI chairman admitted that under the law, they could not oust the prime minister, as he takes refuge behind the constitution and the only way out to 'deal with him (Nawaz Sharif) is to launch civil disobedience movement'.
He said that Nawaz Sharif despite being involved in a number of alleged irregularities and acts of corruption always escaped from the grip of law. "He (Nawaz) bought everyone who tried to bring him to justice," he alleged.
He said Nawaz Sharif sold Lahore Development (LDA) plots and bought politicians, journalists and even tried to buy military generals. "In the last year's elections he bought former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, election commissioner, and the then caretaker chief minister Punjab Najam Sethi," he continued.
Referring to a statement of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, he said the government itself admitted that 60-70 thousand votes in each constituency could not be verified. "So, what kind of elections were they" he questioned.
"The tsunami of the PTI could go straight to the 'fake Prime Minister House' and 'fake' Parliament House. But I don't want the innocent policemen killed. I don't want the army to take over," Khan said.
"Nawaz Sharif's son is living in a house worth Rs8 billion. Compare the houses and businesses Nawaz Sharif had abroad some years ago with the ones he has today. And from where all this money has come?" he questioned.
He alleged that Nawaz Sharif increased his property and wealth through unscrupulous means. "With Nawaz Sharif at the helm of country's affairs, Pakistan 's future is bleak," he added.
Earlier, thousands of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters marched towards the Red Zone but they were soon brought into control by the party leadership.