ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday said the call for an ‘Azadi March’ to the federal capital would be given during the last week of the current month (May).

In another development, Mr Khan wrote letters to President Dr Arif Alvi and Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, asking them to order an inquiry and set up a commission to look into the `Lettergate’ scandal.

About the march, the former prime minister said preparations and public mobilisation would start from the eve of Eidul Fitr through rallies and public meetings.

In a video message, he said the meeting of PTI’s core committee was held on Saturday.

“It has been decided that the call will be given in the last week of May and all Pakistanis will be invited. It is because all people of Pakistan have been humiliated by handing over the government to the most corrupt people through a foreign conspiracy,” he said.

Asad Umar claims current govt deliberately slowing down economy

Mr Khan said it was unfortunate that 60pc of the federal cabinet members were on bail.

“I believe that in future no country will be able to impose corrupt people on us and the people of Pakistan will be able to decide about their fate,” he said.

Letters to President Alvi, CJP

After holding massive public meetings in different cities and staging protests against the alleged foreign conspiracy involved in his government’s ouster, Imran Khan on Saturday wrote to President Dr Arif Alvi and Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, asking them to order a public inquiry and constitute a commission to look into the Lettergate issue.

“You have in your possession a copy of the cipher sent by the then ambassador of Pakistan to the USA containing a summary of an official meeting held in the Pakistan Embassy between Mr Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary of State along with another US official and a note taker and our ambassador along with a note taker and other diplomats of the Mission. The report in the cipher also contains some statements made by Mr Lu in quotes,” both letters having identical content stated.

“My plea before you is that given the grave nature of this threat to dem­ocracy in Pakistan through an externally-engineered regime change conspiracy, as Head of the State of Pakis­tan and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, it is incumbent upon you to take action and order a public inquiry into this threat to Pakistan’s democracy and sovereignty,” he stated in the letter sent to Dr Alvi.

The CJP has been urged to form a commission to conduct open hearings to establish who were involved in the regime change ‘conspiracy’ so that the truth was laid before the people, who were feeling betrayed and helpless. “This is bringing them out to protest what they see as a betrayal of their democratic right to vote into power a government for a term of five years through an engineered foreign regime change conspiracy,” he said.

In both letters, it has been stated that the nation looked to the president and SC to do justice and protect the people of Pakistan from such foreign conspiracies.

Meanwhile, PTI Secretary General Asad Umar said the PML-N-led coalition government was deliberately slowing down the economy as per foreign agenda.

“Recipe for slowing down growth which was set to cross 5%, after 5.6% last year: step 1, create political upheaval. Step 2, inject uncertainty into economy. Step 3, sharply increase interest rates to slow down investments. Let’s see what step 4 will be,” he tweeted.

Meanwhile, Minister for Information Marriyum Aura­ng­zeb said PTI’s long march would prove Imran Khan’s political death, adds APP.

In a tweet, she said, “Pakistanis have chosen development, prosperity and self-respect instead of debt, hunger and poverty”.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2022