Former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday announced plans to formulate a joint strategy with other opposition parties to launch a nationwide protest movement.
In a post shared on his official X account, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder said this protest would take place after the month of Ramzan, which starts at the end of the month and spans almost all of March.
“To this end, I have directed my negotiation committee to expedite communications. We will invite individuals from all sectors of Pakistan—including lawyers, farmers, laborers, scholars, and students—to participate in this protest and take to the streets to reclaim their rights,” read the post. It claimed the protest would seek the “restoration of democracy and the Constitution” and “genuine freedom.”
The posting, citing Khan’s conversations with lawyers and media at Adiala Jail, had the former prime minister criticizing Supreme Court Justice Musarrat Hilali over recent remarks about the PTI’s past support of military courts and its role in the May 9, 2023 riots. “It is the duty of any judge to refrain from passing judgments or making remarks until both sides have been heard, as judicial comments and rulings influence not only the immediate cases but also future ones,” read the post.
It maintained the May 9 riots had yet to be probed by an independent commission, alleging they were an “an orchestrated false-flag operation.”
The post further claimed the PTI’s petitions regarding alleged human rights abuses had yet to be heard in court. It went on to allege that “invisible” forces were controlling all institutions of the country and reiterated his claims of a “colonel” controlling the functioning of Adiala Jail.
In recent weeks, the PTI has ramped up efforts to align all opposition parties on a single platform for the conduct of fresh elections. Key to the success of the efforts, however, appears support from the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl), which has thus far resisted calls to openly join the PTI in a coalition against the incumbent government.