LAHORE: Following the announcement of ‘long march’ by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, preparations for it have entered the final phase and the schedule for the first day has been released.
As per the details shared by the PTI Central Punjab on Wednesday, the long march to Islamabad will start from Liberty Chowk on Friday at 11 am and proceed to Azadi Chowk via Ferozepur Road on the first day. The very next morning, it will proceed to Gujranwala.
The long march will reach Islamabad through GT Road and it will proceed only during the daytime and will make several stops on the way to the capital. It is expected that the PTI convoy may take several days to reach the final destination.
In a tweet, PTI senior leader Asad Umar revealed that they will go to Islamabad and the PTI supporters would reach the capital on November 4 after passing through Muridke, Kamonki, Gujranwala, Daska, Sialkot, Sambaryal, Wazirabad, Gujarat, Lala Musa, Kharian, Jhelum, Gujar Khan and Rawalpindi.
Meanwhile, on the route of the rally in Lahore, several reception camps were being set up and a special moveable container has been prepared from where the party leadership will address the public at various points on the way to the capital. The party leadership has directed its activists for launching the publicity campaign and installing camps on the route of the march.
The long march is scheduled to cross Ichhra at noon where a reception camp will be established by Punjab Local Government Minister Mian Mehmood-ur-Rashid. The next stop will be Mozang where the rally will be greeted by a camp set up by Punjab Senior Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal. On the way to Shahdara, the rally will also pass through the constituencies of former federal minister Hammad Azhar and Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid at MAO College and Government College, respectively.
Commenting on the arrangement, PTI Lahore President Imtiaz Shaikh said that the long march will start from Liberty Chowk on Friday. “We will go to Shahdara on the first day of the march. PTI Chairman Imran Khan will address the participants at Azadi Chowk on the first day of the long march, and the second day of the long march will begin from Shahdara Chowk. The PTI leaders have been directed to set up advertisement campaigns and camps in their areas,” he added.
It was learnt that special tasks have been assigned to the leadership of the cities along the GT Road to make arrangements for the participants, including travel facilities and food. Moreover, the PTI Chairman will remain at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore to monitor the preparations for the long march.
Meanwhile, in a video message, PTI Central Punjab President Dr Yasmin Rashid said that the PTI Chairman has announced the date for the long march and now all should gather at Liberty Chowk at 11 am and together with Imran Khan we head for Islamabad. “On the first day (Friday), the protest rally will sojourn at Azadi Chowk and the very next morning (Saturday) it will make its way to Gujranwala. The PTI rally will march towards the capital only during the daytime,” she said.
The Minister urged the PTI supporters and the general public to participate in the ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’ march and added that this was a protest against the ‘imported government and show them that the nation stands with the former prime minister.
PTI Central Punjab Information Secretary Andleeb Abbas also urged the people to join the long march for the sake of their children’s future.
Earlier, the Health Minister presided over a meeting to review the preparations for the long march. On this occasion, she said that the preparations were being finalized; “Imran Khan is going to the capital to raise the voice against the imported government and that the march will be successful. The federal government will not be able to stop the sea of people. As soon as Imran Khan reaches Islamabad, the federal government will collapse,” she added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022