LAHORE: All the party leaders have ceased fire and currently there is no internal rift in the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), claims Senator Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday at the Chairman Secretariat, he said Minar-i-Pakistan rally would be held on Sunday ‘at any cost.’

“An awareness campaign to this effect has already been started and it is being carried out in schools, colleges, universities and shopping malls,” he said.

Sarwar said the party had sought permission for Minar-i-Pakistan rally but it was denied. The PTI, however, would hold the rally at any cost. “Now it is the responsibility of the government to provide security to the event,” he demanded.

On the contentious issue of the recent Senate election, in which he was elected, Sarwar said he gave all the details of votes. “If the PML-N has [any] doubt, it should carry out internal accountability instead of blaming others.

“On the instructions of the party chairman, I have been addressing rallies and visiting party camps and have seen unprecedented zeal among the party workers about the next rally and mobilisation committees are working day and night.”

Answering a question, he said it has become a norm for the powerful to move to hospitals whenever they are caught on corruption charges or sent to jail. “Once in power, the PTI will stop this practice and no politician would be allowed hospitalisation facility once incarcerated.”

He also took the occasion to praise the armed forces for their role in eradication of terrorism, saying it was done after rendering great sacrifices.

He said all party wings would be called in the next two or three days to see their preparation for the rally and how to improve it. Members of mobilisation committee, including Sadia Sohail, Sheikh Imtiaz, Naeemul Haq, Shahid Siddique, Naveed Ansari, Rizwana Ghazanfar and Owais Yunus were also present.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2018