ISLAMABAD:Senior Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Javed Hashmi on Sunday said that his party does not back a military takeover in the country.
At a press conference taking place after a core PTI committee meeting, Hashmi said, “We do not support martial law and neither do we we accept it. In fact our struggle is against martial law and for democracy in Pakistan.”
He added that the party will be peaceful in its anti-government protest. “If they [the government] resort to violence, they will be responsible for the consequences that will be faced by the people through martial law or another situation.”
He said that if the government arrests PTI chairman Imran Khan or the party leadership ahead of the ‘Azadi’ march, it will cut short its time in power.
“These arrests will be the government’s biggest blunder,” he said.
The PTI's protest for August 14 is led by opposition politician Imran Khan to protest alleged election irregularities. Imran has also called for the government to go.
The planned demonstrations have unnerved Sharif's fledgling civilian government as Pakistan nation has a history of coups and street protests.
Earlier, central PTI leader Shireen Mazari said that the government will be responsible if democracy is derailed.
“Our core committee demands that the government behave democratically, clear the containers from the road and open petrol stations.”
She added that PTI will not present any demands or make compromises before August 14.
“We have also called on the workers to stay prepared and get basic supplies with them. We do not know how long the sit-in will last on the day of the ‘Azadi’ march,” she said..
