LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf says its plan of long march on Islamabad on Aug 14 is intact and there is no chance of its cancellation or postponement.

“The long march will be held as per plan as there is not even a remote chance of its postponement or cancellation as the government is unlikely to meet the condition the PTI has set for the purpose,” PTI leader and opposition leader in Punjab Assembly Mahmoodur Rashid told the media here on Friday.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan had stated the other day that the march could be put off provided the Nawaz government accepted its demand of probing rigging in four National Assembly constituencies by a commission led by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk within 15 days.

“Eight days out of this already have passed, and it is unlikely the government will form the body which will complete its investigations within the rest of seven days,” says Rashid, adding “we’d intentionally put a demand that was difficult to be met (by the government).”

He said the long march would be converted into a sit-in and it would end only on announcement of an interim government for holding mid-term polls.

He was confident that the situation would not last for more than four days.

Asked why the PTI was not joining hands with the Pakistan Awami Tehreek of Dr Tahirul Qadri also working to oust the present set-up, he said an overwhelming majority within rank and file of the PTI was against taking along PAT partly for its religious background and partly for its past record of launching ‘non-serious’ anti-government movement.

He said the Jamaat-i-Islami would be invited to the show at an appropriate time.

He downplayed Arsalan Iftikhar’s pledge of moving the Council of Islamic Ideology against PTI chief Imran Khan for getting disqualified the latter for not mentioning Tyrian as his daughter in his nomination papers.

He said the CII had no powers to summon any person in any case.

Meanwhile, the opposition leader announced carrying a procession of elected representatives to Nandipur power project in Gujranwala for exposing Punjab government’s attempts to hoodwink the masses on energy issue and wasting public money on ill-planned power projects.

The procession will leave Lahore on Sunday (tomorrow).

EJAZ: Punjab PTI President Ejaz Chaudhry has asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif not to try backstabing Imran Khan but fight in the political arena.

In a statement here on Friday, Mr Chaudhry said the allegations levelled by Arslan against Imran were not new and the PTI chief had got himself cleared from courts twice.

He said Arslan’s anger clearly showed that his family was disturbed over exposure of his father’s actions.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2014