Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan said that he plans to proceed with his party’s “Azadi March” despite the government’s decision today to bar the long march towards Islamabad.
Addressing a presser in Peshawar, Khan said he will lead the “biggest procession in Pakistan’s history” tomorrow.
His speech comes after a police crackdown against PTI members and leaders across the country. A policeman was also shot dead in one of the raids after which the government said it would not allow the PTI long march to proceed.
Censuring the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led government, Khan said that he has observed the Sharif family adopting similar tactics that military dictators did since 1985.
“They entered the houses of people and didn’t care for the privacy of women,” he said. Khan added that the PTI government never stopped the then opposition leaders from exercising their right to assemble and stage protests.
Khan went on to say that the judiciary and ‘neutrals’ must “do the right thing.” He asked the judiciary whether they would permit such harassment and raids to take place. He asked the country’s bar associations why they had not condemned the government’s actions.
The PTI chairman proclaimed that “staying neutral” was no longer an option. He addressed the “neutrals” saying that they had taken oaths to safeguard the country’s independence and sovereignty. Khan reiterated that early polls was the only solution to the country’s problems.
