LONDON: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leaders on Tuesday said that protests and demonstration activities should be avoided given the current fragile situation of the country. Quoting sources, they added that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan would take back his August 14 call for the 'Azadi march', according to a statement released on the MQM's website.
Senior members of the MQM Tariq Javed, Qasim Ali and Mustafa Aziz Abadi in a joint statement strongly appealed to all parties to take steps with caution, keeping in view the critical situation of the country.
In a political twist to the increasingly complex PTI long march, the leaders said reports were received from credible sources regarding Imran Khan's decision to withdraw his August 14 call for the march in Islamabad, which according to the MQM leaders, would be announced soon.
They further said that if the reports held true, then the decision would be a blessing for the nation.
The MQM website said that the leaders issued the statement after offering Eidul Fitr prayers.
Earlier on Monday, PTI chairman Imran Khan had ruled out any deal with the government over the party’s planned march on the capital on the Independence Day.
Talking to reporters during a visit to the IDP camp here, Imran Khan said: “The time for talks is over. We waited 14 months and tried all legal options.” The issue of verification of votes in four constituencies was also taken up in parliament but the PTI got no relief, he added.
“We had requested for the constitution of a judicial commission to probe the issue but that demand was also ignored. Now the decision will be made on August 14,” he said.
Meanwhile, Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on July 26 had announced the government's decision to call in the military to take control of Islamabad from August 1 for a period of three months.
The government's move was termed as dangerous by the PTI, while Nisar, giving an explantion over invoking Article 245 of the Constitution the next day, had said, that the move had no link with "any political rally or party", and had been decided owing to security concerns at the time of the launch of the Zarb-i-Azb operation against Taliban militants in North Waziristan tribal region.
