DERA GHAZI KHAN/ LAHORE, Nov 19: Detained Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf chairman Imran Khan is on a hunger strike to press his demand for restoration of the pre-Nov 3 judiciary.
“As a protest against Musharraf’s imposition of emergency rule, the PTI chief went on a hunger strike at 2:30pm on Sunday, refusing to eat and drink during confinement. He intends to continue the strike till death unless democracy and judiciary are restored,” his brother-in-law Hafeezullah Khan Niazi said at a news conference outside the Dera jail.
Before the news conference, Mr Niazi and his wife Aleema Khan met Imran Khan.
He said Imran had refused to avail himself of any facility in his cell as a mark of protest.
“He looked extremely angry and, at the same time, worried about the political situation in the country and said that sacrifices needed to be made.”
He said the hunger strike was Imran’s way of telling the Musharraf government that staying behind bars was not a gimmick meant to gain political mileage.
“Urging the youth of the country to mobilise against Gen Musharraf’s dictatorial regime, Mr Imran Khan has announced the ‘Youth for Democracy Movement’, intended for the young people to wrest their rights which stand usurped at the moment.
“He says it doesn’t matter how he is being treated. The Musharraf government needs to realise that its time is up and if it means giving his life he is ready for it,” said Mr Imran’s sister Aleema.
“This is the first time in the history of this country that people are supporting democracy and the judiciary instead of rallying behind iconic figures. We the women of Pakistan are not going to sit idle waiting for a man to lead us against Musharraf. We are not afraid of being brutalised and beaten. The objective is far bigger than the physical pain, and that objective is the restoration of the judiciary and genuine democracy,” she said.
“Anybody familiar with Imran knows that physical discomfort can’t break his resolve. If he sets his mind to do something he doesn’t rest till it is achieved,” she said.
