Denies striking any deal with govt
Zubair Qureshi Tariq Saeed Peshawar / Islamabad
PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday reiterated that he and his supporters would not vacate D-Chowk in Islamabad until a final date for new elections was given from the “imported government”.
Imran made those remarks during a brief stopover in Hasan Abdal as his supporters reached D-Chowk ahead of him.
He said the police would also come to understand his mission when his caravan would reach its final destination.
Earlier, as the PTI’s Azadi March began, tensions in Punjab rose after police made use of tear gas and arrested several PTI marchers in cities across the province as activists attempted to remove shipping containers blocking routes to Islamabad.
Much later in the evening, in a video message tweeted by the PTI, Imran asked “all Pakistanis” to take to the streets in their respective cities and said people heading to Islamabad must reach D-Chowk.
“I will make it there in a couple of hours.” He also appealed to women and children to come out of their homes for “real independence”. Imran said it was “good news” that the Supreme Court had decided that no one would be arrested during the march.
Earlier, around 6pm, the main convoy from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which includes Imran, entered Punjab from Attock after successfully removing barricades placed by the Punjab government at the Attock bridge to stop marchers from entering the province.
There were reports of intense shelling in Islamabad’s Blue Area, with television footage showing smoke rising from the ground and fires in the green belts adjacent to main roads.
Imran Khan addressing party supporters at Swabi denied all the reports of striking any deal with the government and reiterated his resolve to reach D Chowk Islamabad as part of the planned Azaadi March and stay in the federal capital till time the dissolution of the assemblies and date for the new elections in not announced.
He also declared that as usual remaining within the ambits of the law, PTI protest against the” imported government’ will remain peaceful, adding protest against the oppression was their right.
“We will stay in Islamabad until the government decide to dissolve assemblies and announces election dates,” adding “we will reach D-Chowk and no hurdle can stop us”.
