CB News
Former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday announced that his party’s show of power at Minar-e-Pakistan will take place on Wednesday, March 22. News Aaj reported
“We are doing great jalsa at Minar-e-Pakistan on Wednesday. And I want the whole country to see, it will be a referendum on the situation of citizenship. Everyone will know where the nation stands and where the comrade of thieves and their handlers are,” he said in a televised address.
The PTI chief had earlier announced the power on Sunday (March 19), but the Lahore High Court had ordered the PTI to reschedule its rally and hold a dialogue with the administration.
During his speech, Imran attacked the Inspector General (IG) of Punjab Police and other officers involved in an “attack” at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.
Imran said the police broke down the door and its walls while only his wife, Bushra Bibi, and a few select servants were present.
“I want to ask everyone, the police, the army officers, the judges of this country and the people [about] the respect of the chaddor and the char dewari in Islam.
Imran said there was video evidence that officials carrying out the operation “ransacked” his house. “Are the police supposed to ransack houses? They ransacked what they could find. Have you no shame?”
At the beginning of his speech, the PTI chief said that he wanted to speak to the people last night but could not due to technical problems. “It was good that he didn’t because he was angry. And a person shouldn’t talk when they’re angry,” he said.
Imran asked what exactly was his crime. He said the nation knows he always obeyed the law; however, the “fascist regime” registered 96 cases against him.
The PTI chief said that more cases are registered against him every time he steps out of the house. “Who is doing this? Criminals responsible for doing this in the country are registering cases against me.”
He alleged that the coalition government was behind the attempt on his life in Wazirabad, adding that they were backed by “handlers”.
Imran, attacking caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, said: “He considers Zardari a father. What would be his character then?”
Summing up the past few weeks, the former prime minister said elections were announced for April 30, after which his party decided to start its election campaign by holding a rally in Lahore on March 8 .
“On the night of March 7, we finalized all the details with the police on how the rally would proceed. We have permission. The next day, when we are about to start, the caretaker government imposed Article 144 and the police showed up with a riot squad.
“How can Article 144 be imposed after the election is announced,” asked Imran. “Has this happened before in the history of Pakistan?”
Imran said that when the rally started moving towards Zaman Park, the police used water cannons and tear gas against the PTI workers. He later called off the rally at 5pm because he “knew they were trying to make the situation worse”.
Regarding the police operation at Zaman Park, Imran said it all started because he requested that his hearing be moved from an Islamabad court due to security concerns.
“F-8 Kachery is a death trap,” he said, adding that arrest warrants were issued for him. He said a huge “army” arrived at his residence in Lahore on orders issued by a magistrate. “Warrants were also issued for the arrest of Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, but no action was taken.”
He said police fired hundreds of teargas shells, “rubber bullets and even live bullets” at PTI workers outside their Zaman Park residence.
“There were constant attacks on my house. Has this ever happened before in the history of Pakistan?
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Imran said he was ready to surrender to the police, but party workers stopped him because they feared that [the government] it would hurt him
Speaking about the turn of events on Saturday, Imran asked if he only had to mark his attendance at a court in Islamabad, why his house was being attacked from three sides. “The rangers were arriving in armored vehicles, entering after jumping over the walls as if there was a commando operation.”
“Yesterday, when I left the house, I said goodbye to my wife. I knew they would stop me or kill me. With this thought in mind, I left home.”
He said by the time he got to the toll booth, police had closed the highway. “Only one lane was open. They had in mind that once my car goes out, they will close it behind me so the rest of the cars can’t follow […] the whole of Islamabad was locked down as for a major criminal.”
Imran said the government had planned to identify him and kill him on the way to the court complex, or they wanted to arrest him and transfer him to Balochistan.
“Somehow, people came out to welcome me and protect me. When we approached the court complex, the police started firing tear gas relentlessly. We waited outside the court complex despite the worsening situation.
He said he knew they would try to kill him in the crossfire if he had left his car. “They have been planning to kill me for some time and I have been exposing them for two months,” he added.
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