Marking one year since its founder Imran Khan was jailed, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its allies in the opposition on Monday staged a rally in Swabi and demanded the former prime minister’s immediate release.
Ahead of the rally, the PTI had urged its supporters and leaders to converge on Swabi from across Pakistan in the pursuit of “real independence” and the release of Khan. Taking up the call, thousands of PTI workers gathered at the venue, waving party flags and holding Imran Khan’s portraits. They also demanded the government release the PTI founder and his wife, Bushra Bibi, immediately.
Addressing the crowds, the PTI leaders reiterated demands for Khan’s release and vowed to organize rallies in various cities, including Islamabad and Lahore, to achieve their goals. They directed the party workers to prepare for gatherings in Punjab and other areas to mount pressure on the government to release Khan. In a thunderous speech in which he slammed the military, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said the party would stage a “massive” rally at Islamabad in the last week of August or the first week of September, adding no one would be permitted to prevent it.
Stressing that Islamabad was no single individual’s property and belonged to all provinces, Gandapur said no one could prevent the PTI from staging rallies in the federal capital. Emphasizing that the PTI would not wait for any no-objection certificate in future, he called for the unconditional release of Khan and warned that failure to do so would trigger a public reaction that no one would be able to handle.
Earlier, PTI leader Asad Qaiser—whose home constituency is Swabi—told the crowds that they could not allow themselves to be disheartened. “If we reduce the pressure, it will mean that we have lost the initiative for which we have given numerous sacrifices,” he claimed.
PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan, similarly, said the PTI had formally launched its struggle for the release of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, who he claimed were incarcerated in “false cases.” He alleged the federal government used various tactics to tarnish Khan’s image and popularity but had failed to make any headway with the public. The lawyer also stressed on judicial independence, demanding an end to all interference in judicial affairs.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan said he wanted to convey a message of Imran Khan about the military to the PTI workers. He reiterated statements alleging the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) was trying to create rifts between citizens and the Pakistan Army, adding all such attempts would be foiled by the PTI. He then alleged PTI leaders and workers were “abducted” by intelligence agencies and this policy must come to an end.
Mahmood Khan Achakzai, who heads the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and the PTI-led opposition alliance, called for restoration of the rule of law and constitutional supremacy. He said he supported Imran Khan’s call for “real independence” and parliamentary supremacy. “Every institution should work in line with its constitutional role, and the people-elected government should deliver according to the wishes and benefits of the masses,” he said, emphasizing that “engineered” elections were no longer acceptable for the nation.