PESHAWAR: Reacting to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s plan to march on Raiwind for holding sit-in outside the residence of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the PML-N activists in Peshawar held a protest demonstration outside the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Sunday and shouted slogans against PTI chairman Imran Khan.

The protesters were led by the party’s provincial vice-president Waqif Khan, Ikhtiar Wali, Afzal Panyala, Peshawar district president Abdul Sattar Khalil, MPA Arbab Waseem and other senior activists.

Holding banners, placards and party flags the leaguers were shouting slogans against the provincial government, Imran Khan and Chief Minister Pervez Khattak. They also observed sit-in outside the KP Assembly building for some time, where some of the protesters climbed the walls and hoisted PML-N flags on them.

Hoist party flags on walls of KP Assembly

Speaking on the occasion, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders said that they could not tolerate to see PTI workers marching towards Raiwind and would eventually come to the streets to block entry of PTI rallies on different roads leading to Lahore.

They said that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had voted PTI to power with expectations that the government would focus on solution of their problems, but the party was bent on wasting precious time by observing prolonged sit-ins.

“Imran Khan had promised that the provincial government will bring change within 90 days, but it failed even to initiate a single mega development scheme in the province,” Sattar Khalil said.

He said that in case the PTI workers tried to move towards Raiwind the PML-N activists would attack houses of the chief minister and other leaders of his party in reaction.

Meanwhile, PML-N provincial president Pir Sabir Shah said in a statement on Sunday that the nation had rejected the politics of sit-ins and protest rallies and believed only in practical steps for uplift of the people.

He said that PML-N was determined to bring an end to all the core issues confronted by the nation, including loadshedding, poverty, unemployment and terrorism, and provide justice to people at their doorstep.

Mr Shah said that the defeat of PTI candidates in by-elections held in different parts of the country had proved that voters did not like ‘immature’ politicians who were putting interests of the country at stake. He claimed that PML-N would win the 2018 general elections with thumping majority to form government in centre and all the provinces.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2016