LAHORE: Leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf warn that ‘tsunami’ may unleash before Azadi March if the government tries to arrest party high command including Imran Khan.

The government has a plan to arrest 10 top leaders of the party on Aug 12 and make all-out efforts to ‘fail’ the long march, they say and add that the police are harassing party leaders and workers and uprooting the registration camps across the province.

They say the government is planning to arrest Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, Ejaz Chaudhry and others. The party chairman also faces life threats, they say.

Meanwhile, Imran Khan’s instructions have been conveyed to all formations in the party to avoid arrests even if the leaders need to change their locations and mobile phone numbers.

Leaders say camps being dismantled

“I do not need political martyrs who will say afterwards that they were arrested,” a party leader quoted Imran as having said.

Hundreds of incidents are being reported all over Punjab that the PTI leaders and active workers are being picked up from their residences at night and released in the morning after getting an undertaking that they will not participate in the long march.

“Policemen’s jobs have been linked to cracking down on potential participants in Azadi March,” said PTI Punjab President Ejaz Chaudhry, who was flanked by Information Secretary Andleeb Abbas, at a news conference at party’s provincial secretariat in Model Town on Thursday.Mr Chaudhry said he had told Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif that the PTI leadership would respond in the tone he (CM) would use for its leaders and workers. He also refused to buy government’s claims about its performance during the past 14 months.

He condemned registration of a case against Pakistan Awami Tehreek chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri and blockade of roads around Model Town and Faisal Town by placing containers.

Alleging that the police had uprooted PTI’s registration camps in 11 districts, he asserted that the party would re-establish these. It would establish a total of 800 camps in the province, he said, adding that the PTI had already completed registration of 100,000 motorcycles for the march.

Mr Chaudhry said the PTI had finalised its strategies to counter the police by creating different layers of leadership. Similarly, he said, the first layer of motorcyclists and leaders would be followed by the second layer and chain of command to break the police siege in districts.

He said leaders and party workers of 22 districts had been asked to reach Lahore and gather at Faisal Chowk at 10am on Aug 14. In view of possible closure of petrol pumps by the government, Mr Chaudhry urged the petrol pump and CNG station owners loyal to party to ensure that their outlets remain open. He assured them that the party workers would protect such facilities.

Andleeb Abbas said the party had realised that the government could go to any extent and there would be shutdown of mobile phone service and petrol, and road blockades. She stressed that all the leaders and workers should keep these hurdles in mind while moving on.

As the party had planned that Azadi March would begin from Imran Khan’s residence in Zaman Park, Ms Abbas agreed that it would be unlikely that the protest march reach Islamabad the same day.

“It will take at least two days to reach Islamabad due to hurdles created by the government and party’s en route public gatherings,” she added.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2014