GUJRANWALA: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan has warned the government against creating hurdles for his party’s Nov 30 meeting in Islamabad and said that he is ‘running out of patience’ and may launch a ‘final war’ against the status quo.

Addressing a large public meeting held in Jinnah Stadium here on Sunday, he claimed to have obtained ‘new evidences’ of rigging in last year’s general elections which he would unveil at a press conference next week and the PTI would approach the Supreme Court to seek justice.

He invited all political parties to join his campaign against rigging. He said that he was exercising his right to protest because he had been denied justice.

Criticising Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s frequent foreign visits, he said he wondered why he was not bringing the wealth of his family stashed abroad before inviting foreign investors to come to Pakistan.

He praised the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, but criticised the current PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari.

He appealed to people to attend the Nov 30 Islamabad meeting and be a part of the struggle for change and a new Pakistan.

He blamed the provincial governments of Punjab and Sindh for the recent death of 115 children in Thar and 21 in a Sargodha hospital.

PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Quershi said that his party’s Larkana rally had unnerved the PPP and the Gujranwala gathering was a big blow for the PML-N.

Gujranwala was tense on Sunday following media reports that PML-N activists planned to attack the PTI. The reports said that PML-N’s worker Javed Butt had collected eggs, tomatoes and shoes which he and his associates planned to hurl on Imran Khan.

Police sprang into action and detained Javed But along with Bilal Butt, Sohail Butt and Shahbaz Bhatti.

Later when the meeting was in progress PTI workers caught PML-N worker Hamza Butt and thrashed him. Police took him into custody and moved him to a police station.

Published in Dawn, November 24th , 2014