KARACHI: A first glimpse of the mounting tension between the ruling party and its opponent parties amid approaching dates of their respective power shows in Islamabad ahead of a vote on no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan was witnessed here on Thursday when a caravan Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) left for Islamabad with hundreds of its workers and separately Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) gave final touches to its journey for the capital.

A large number of JUI-F workers assembled near Sohrab Goth early in the day and it took more than three hours when the wheels of the caravan finally hit the road.

Led by JUI-F Sindh chief Rashid Mahmood Soomro and other senior leaders of the party, the opposition workers left the Karachi boundary by 1pm. The convoy is to spend Thursday night in Sukkur after passing through different cities.

“The workers are excited to be a part of this huge national movement which would lead to end of an unjust and illegal rule. The days of PTI government are numbered,” said the party spokesman, Muhammad Sami ul Haq Swati.

On the other hand, PTI also flexed its muscles and announced early morning departure of its “thousands of workers and supporter” for Islamabad where they would join the party’s March 27 rally.

Sindh PTI set to follow suit, leaves today to join power show in capital

The prime minister’s televised call to the nation to participate in the PTI power show in Islamabad’s Parade Ground further fuelled the party activists’ enthusiasm.

A large number of party workers led by Leader of the Opposition in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh paid a visit to the mausoleum of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah prior to the beginning of their journey to Islamabad rally titled ‘Amr bil Maroof Jalsa’.

“The PTI caravan from Karachi will depart to Islamabad on Friday [today] to become part of Amr bil Maroof Jalsa,” said Mr Sheikh.

“We are here today at Mazar-i-Quaid to reiterate our commitment with the cause of PTI leader and Prime Minister Imran Khan who is striving to save Quaid-i-Azam’s Pakistan from corruption and plunder by thieves, and making our homeland as had the Quaid-i-Azam dreamt of.”

Accompanied by MPAs Raja Azhar, Saeed Afridi, Shahnawaz Jadoon, Adnan Ismail and others, he said that hundreds of vehicles hired by the party and those owned by the workers and supporters would enter Islamabad well before the March 27 rally predicting it to be “the largest political activity in the country’s history”.

“The caravan of Sindh will leave Karachi from Sohrab Goth on Friday morning while departure of other caravans will continue till the next day. People from all over Sindh will attend the rally,” he added.

Addressing party activists at Hatri bypass, JUI-F general secretary Rashid Mehmood Soomro said that one person had misguided people in the name of ‘state of Madina, our Hyderabad correspondent adds.

Mr Soomro said that false promises of providing jobs and houses were made but today people could not eke out a living. He sarcastically said: “Listen Khan sahab! we are coming to offer funeral prayers of your rule.”

He said that PM’s lies would not work any longer now as people had awaken.

He wondered why Imran Khan was delaying no-confidence motion when he himself had said that he would quit if members found him incompetent.

He added that PM had lost confidence of parliament and 220 million people of the country.

The JUI-F leader asked Imran Khan to desist from disturbing Maulana’s [Fazl’s] followers by resorting to name calling and warned they would not let him hide otherwise.

He said people were united under the leadership of Maulana Fazlur Rehman. He said people were bringing chicks and eggs for PM so that he could use them in jail.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2022