Politics

Imran Khan announces ‘Jail Bharo’ movement from Wednesday

Published

3 months ago

Farwa

“We will fill jails, they [authorities] will have no space left to hide.”
PTI chief says it’s dangerous CEC is showing inability on conducting polls.
“Caretaker chief ministers would be illegal on 91st day,” claims Khan.

Blaming the incumbent coalition government for its “political victimisation” of his party leaders and allies, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has announced kickstarting the ‘Jail Bharo’ (court arrest) movement from Wednesday, starting from Lahore.

“We will fill jails, they [authorities] will have no space left to hide,” he said while warning the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led (PDM) government during his address to the nation via video link from Lahore’s Zaman Park residence on Friday, where he has been residing since being shot in the legs on November 3 last year.

In the wake of sedition cases filed against his party leaders including Fawad Chaudhry, Azam Swati and Shahbaz Gill, Imran Khan on February 4 announced “Jail Bharo Tehreek” and asked PTI workers and supporters to prepare for movement across the country.

“They want to enslave us by threatening to put us in jails,” the former prime minister, who was ousted following a vote of no-confidence in April last year, said vowing to fulfil the wish of authorities.

Khan claimed that the police entered the homes of PTI workers in Multan and were tasked with such threatening tactics. “If this work is being done by the police, then won’t the people hate them?”

The interim government is strongly against the PTI, he added.

While referring to the caretaker setup, he said: “The man with a questionable character was brought in. We have a list of 23 people who had inflicted atrocities of which 16 were brought in.”

The PTI chief also recalled the “torture” inflicted on his party’s leaders highlighting the treatment meted out to Swati, Gill and Fawad.

“Never in history have such acts been committed against political opponents,” Khan lamented.

The tensions between the incumbent government and the PTI have heightened, with no sign of respite as the elections in two provinces — Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — near, following the party’s decision to dissolve the assemblies. Punjab and KP assemblies were dissolved by the PTI on January 14 and January 18, respectively.

Firing fresh broadside at the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the PTI chief said: “It is dangerous that the CEC [Chief Election Commissioner] is showing his inability on conducting the election.”

Khan’s fresh criticism comes hours after President Dr Arif Alvi summoned CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja for an urgent meeting on February 20 (Monday) regarding the announcement of the date for fresh general elections.

He said that they dissolved the provincial assemblies of Punjab and KP as per the knowledge that the country’s Constitution clarifies that the elections should be held within 90 days of the dissolution of any assembly.

“The caretaker government and the interim chief ministers would be illegal on the 91st day,” he added.

No disaster could be bigger than that when the judiciary failed to ensure the implementation of the Constitution, he said while hitting out hard at the polls organising authority. “There is no justice where the rule of law collapses.”

Khan said that they had been claiming that the coalition government did not have the mandate and they cannot run the country.

Blaming the interim government for obstructing the probe against the assassination attack on him in Wazirabad on November 3 last year, the PTI chief said “its job is to only conduct elections”.

“The interim government first comes and stops the [joint investigation team] JIT and steals records. When an officer goes to collect the JIT report, it is found that only 11 pages of the report are remaining,” he said, adding that the JIT records are being claimed to have gone missing.

The former premier, lambasting the interim setup in Punjab, said that all links were pointing at them and they were worried about being caught.

Lashing out at the incumbent rulers over the recently announced mini-budget, Khan asked as if raising prices is a “tough decision.”

The government has broken the backbone of people by hiking the prices of all daily-use items, the deposed prime minister added. “[IMF] loans are not the solution to the problems being faced by the country.”

Ruling alliance came into power via ‘auction’

Taking a jibe at the PDM government, Khan said: “They did not come into power via election but auction. The government does not seem to conduct elections in 90 days. They fear elections.”

The ruling alliance wanted to win elections through the rigging, he accused the authorities and at the same time warned that the PTI would not “keep silent over snatching of elections”.

‘Institutions are under pressure’

According to the PTI chief, it seems that institutions are under pressure and the government is running away from elections.

He also vowed that the PTI would not let the government rig the elections, no matter what they do.

Turning his guns towards the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party in Sindh, the former prime minister said the PPP has no vote bank in Karachi but it showed achievement in recent elections in the metropolis.

Referring to journalist Arshad Sharif’s assassination and alleged crackdown against his party’s leadership, Khan said that the government wanted to send them behind the bars, hence, they would launch a court arrest campaign across the country.

Politics

May 9 arsonists also attacked police on March 8 outside Zaman Park: Mohsin Naqvi

Published

8 hours ago

Farwa

Naqvi says “propaganda” being done on arrest of female PTI workers.
Caretaker CM says 2-year-old videos were shared on social media.
Punjab IG says police ready to appear before the judicial commission.

LAHORE: Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday shared that those who attacked the police in Zaman Park on March 8 were also involved in the rioting that took place on May 9 after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest.

On March 8, the PTI chief planned to launch a rally in Lahore but things turned sour when the interim government-imposed Section 144 within the provincial capital. Following this, there was a clash between the police and PTI workers.

However, today CM Naqvi said that the same people that had clashed with the police on March 8 were also involved in the May 9 rioting.

On the “propaganda” being done regarding the arrest of female PTI workers, the caretaker chief executive claimed that 2-year-old videos were being shared on social media.

He also said that 32 women were arrested related to the attack on military installations in Punjab. However, 21 of those have already been released while only 11 are on judicial remand.

CM Naqvi added that nearly 500 women were involved in the May 9 incidents but the interim government avoided their arrest.

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Punjab (IGP) Police Dr Usman Anwar, while clearing the air on the arrest of female PTI workers, said that the police have videos of people getting arrested on the spot.

He further added that those involved in the May 9 mayhem uploaded videos themselves.

“Various agencies verified with their own camera system. These lists [of people involved] are complete, and action is being taken,” the police chief said.

He also slammed the PTI for claiming he had sent his men to torch the important installations. “Whoever wants to form a judicial commission can form it we are ready to go before any judicial commission.”

Politics

PTI’s Shehryar Afridi re-arrested upon release from Adiala jail

Published

9 hours ago

Farwa

“Afridi was released on completion of his ‘house arrest’ period.”
Police officials take the PTI leader to an undisclosed location.
Shehryar Afridi along with his wife was picked up on May 16.

Amid the ongoing crackdown against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in connection with the May 9 attacks on the civil and military installations, the party’s leader and former state minister Shehryar Afridi was re-arrested shortly after being released from Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail on Tuesday.

Afridi along with his wife was picked up on May 16 from his residence in Islamabad under Section 3 of Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance 1960, which enables the government to arrest persons “acting in any manner prejudicial to public safety”. His wife, however, was released later on the orders of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

Soon after his release from the jail, police officials again took him into custody and transported him to an undisclosed location.

According to the jail administration, Afridi was released on completion of his “house arrest” period under the MPO.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Rawalpindi deputy commissioner has extended Afridi’s house arrest under MPO for another 15 days.

The duo was apprehended after violent protests, triggered by the arrest of PTI chairman Imran Khan from the IHC in the Al-Qadir Trust case, erupted almost across the country.

During the days-long protests, which ended only after Khan’s release, enraged PTI workers allegedly attacked private and public properties, including military installations — the Lahore Corps Commander’s House or Jinnah House and the General Headquarters (GHQ) entrance. At least eight people lost their lives during the violent protests.

Politics

ATC declares Zaman Park search warrant ‘ineffective’

Published

9 hours ago

Farwa

One-time search warrants are not for forever, judge says.
PTI chief Khan had moved ATC against search warrants.
He claimed LEAs secured warrants with “malicious intent”.

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore Tuesday declared a police search warrant for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence “ineffective”.

ATC Judge Abhar Gul Khan, while announcing the reserved verdict on the PTI chief’s plea, said one-time search warrants are not for forever.

The PTI chief had moved the court three days back against the search warrants, naming the state, commissioner of Lahore, DIG operations Lahore, SSP operations Lahore, and others as respondents.

In the plea, the PTI chief claimed that law enforcement personnel secured the warrants with “malicious intent”.

“It is most respectfully prayed that the search warrant relating to petitioner’s house situated at Zaman Park, Lahore may kindly be set-aside /cancelled/recalled being illegal, unlawful, inappropriate which lacks the requisite legal parameters for a valid warrant in the interest of justice and fair play,” he said in the plea.

Urging the court to take strict action against the respondents, Khan asked the court to deal with them severely for “their unlawful and illegal misuse of authority under the pretext of the search warrant”.

The authorities had secured the search warrants claiming that they wanted to arrest the “terrorists” present inside the PTI chief’s residence. However, when they arrived there on May 19, Khan refused to allow a search operation at his residence.

The hearing

At the outset of the hearing, the judge asked the commissioner what was the reason behind the law enforcers’ action at Zaman Park. The commissioner said his men went here to remove encroachments.

But, he noted, they had not followed up on the search warrants so far.

The judge asked the investigating officer whether he still needed the search warrants. At this, he said that he would respond to the court’s question after consulting his colleagues.

The court, after hearing arguments, had reserved the verdict.