SHANGLA: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan on Thursday said he would announce plans for his party’s next march on Islamabad during a public meeting in Dir tomorrow (Saturday).

Addressing a large public meeting in Besham area here, Mr Imran, who has been staying in Peshawar since the conclusion of the PTI’s Azadi March on May 26, said he would remain present in the provence for two more days to ensure a massive power show in Islamabad.

“I will continue with my campaign for the nation’s freedom until the schedule for general elections is announced and the electoral exercise is held fairly and transparently,” he said.

The former premier claimed that the PTI’s next march on Islamabad would last until the federal government announced the holding of free and fair elections.

PTI chief says his anti-govt drive will continue until poll schedule announced

He said the ‘imported’ rulers, with the support of the Election Commission of Pakistan, were planning to rig the next general elections for their victory through changes to constituencies.

He said the nation no longer wanted PM Shehbaz Sharif-led government to continue for destroying economy and thus, rendering the country on brink of bankruptcy.

Accompanied by KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, labour minister Shaukat Yousafzai and other PTI leaders, Mr Imran said he had been approaching the people for joining his movement for real independence, which was meant to empower the nation to take decisions for itself by itself.

He claimed that the national economy had begun showing improvement after the last PTI government managed the pandemic-induced issues well and even it was making a deal with Russia to procure oil at the rate around 30 per cent below the market’s.

The former prime minister reiterated that his government was ousted through a foreign conspiracy to install an ‘imported’ government, which destroyed the country, including its economy, within days of formation.

He said as an independent country, India made a similar deal with Russia before drastically reducing oil prices to benefit its people.

Mr Imran complained that the prices of flour, food and other essential items went up significantly after the current government increased fuel rates to the misery of the poor.

He alleged that the federal government was acting against the ‘ideology of Pakistan’ spelled out by Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah to please the US and that it had even organised the visit of a Pakistani group, which had a government employee as a member, to Israel.

The former prime minister said the current government had been promoting American-Israeli agenda but the nation would never accept it.

He claimed that when the PTI ruled the country, remittances had hit all-time high and economy was on the right track, but after its ouster from power, Pakistani currency had massively devalued and the people suffered from record inflation and excessive power cuts.

Mr Imran said the federal government was taking steps to do away with corruption cases pursued by the National Accountability Bureau and Federal Investigation Agency against its members.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2022