LAHORE: On the first day of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s ‘jail bharo’ (volunteer arrest) movement on Wednesday (February 22), 200 party workers and around seven PTI legislators and leaders would voluntarily present themselves for arrest to the authorities.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan a few days ago announced the launching of the movement to protest against the violations of the Constitution and press the coalition government to hold elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
While addressing a press conference here on Saturday, PTI senior leader and the focal person of ‘jail bharo’ movement, Ejaz Chaudhary said that thousands of their party workers would gather at Faisal Chowk and the PTI volunteers would give their arrests. “No one was exempted from the movement, including the PTI Chairman; the party would decide who would give their arrests from which city and at what day,” he added.
“As per the schedule, the PTI activists would give arrests in Peshawar on February 23, in Rawalpindi on February 24, in Multan on February 25, in Gujranwala on February 26, in Sargodha on February 27, in Sahiwal on February 28 and in Faisalabad on February 29. After this, a new schedule would be given for the movement,” he added.
The PTI leader averred that they would stage a sit-in if the authorities did not put them behind bars. “It would be a peaceful protest against the government’s oppression and we would not resort to any kind of violence,” he added.
According to him, the movement is aimed at stopping the violation of the Constitution and fundamental rights in the country. The Election Commission of Pakistan and the current government were refusing to implement the Constitution and the court decisions by not holding elections in Punjab and KP within 90 days after the dissolution of the provincial assemblies. At this time, the 90-day period in Punjab has all most expired while the KP Governor who signed a summary for the dissolution of the KP Assembly was not giving a date for the fresh elections.
While condemning the terrorist attack in Karachi, he said that the cause for the recent wave of terrorism in the country was the poor policy of the incumbent rulers; “this was not the outcome of a deal with a terrorist outfit”.
To a question on the alleged pressure tactic on judges, he said that Federal Interior Minister should resign and should be arrested for defaming the judiciary and judges, adding that the Sharif family always had an attitude of either buying judges or attacking the courts. “They have a habit of dictating the judges to get favourable decisions,” he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023