LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leadership is “working out modalities” of the Azadi March.

A PTI Central Executive Committee member says the plan for the march and the post-march strategy will be disclosed at a proper time.

“The suspense should remain intact. Why should we disclose our plan and facilitate the government to start counter-planning,” he argues.

“We are following our leader Imran Khan and will respond to his call whether he wants a long march or a short one.”

PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi says the party’s Central Executive Committee will meet shortly and work out the modalities of the Azadi March and the post-march strategy.

Qureshi says govt is unclear about Aug 14 plan

He later told a news conference that the PTI would hold the event on Aug 14 come what may. He said the party had finalised its strategy to deal with the situation in case the government tried to detain its workers. He said lawyers’ committees had been formed at the district level to deal with detention issues.

Mr Qureshi said the government was unclear about Independence Day celebrations and it did not formally contact the PTI.

He said Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid was saying that the government was not afraid of long march and had allowed the PTI to hold its march while Punjab Law Minister Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan said the government had yet to allow the PTI to hold its long march.

Highlighting Sindh Assembly Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza’s statement about a clause in the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) that martial law cannot be imposed in the country until next three general elections, the PTI vice chairman demanded that the PPP explain this statement. “Will the army intervention before fourth general election be legalised,” he asked.

Similarly, he said, former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had claimed that he was also privy to the NRO deal. “All quarters concerned should take both the PPP leaders’ statements seriously,” Mr Qureshi demanded.

He said federal minister Abdul Qadir Baloch had accepted the government’s failure in handling the affairs of the IDPs saying their number could swell beyond one million in the days to come.

Answering a question, Mr Qureshi asserted that the PTI would not become part of any deal and there was no deadlock between the PTI and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek.

He said Imran Khan and Dr Tahirul Qadri had similar views on certain issues including electoral reforms.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2014