ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has not held even a single protest in the federal capital since assassination attempt on party chairman Imran Khan on Nov 3 despite having three MNAs and party secretary general from Islamabad area.

The party’s protests are confined to Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where it has been in power and has no fear of arrests by the police.

When contacted, PTI’s deputy information secretary Amir Mughal, however, said it was a deliberate move not to hold protests in the federal capital as Nov 11 was the last date for submission of nomination papers for local bodies elections and the leadership did not want the workers to be arrested before that.

MNA Ali Nawaz Awan from Islamabad claimed the city was completely choked on the day when assassination attempt was made on the party chairman. Later, a strategy was devised to hold protests at the borders of the federal capital, he said.

Imran Khan was injured in a gun attack when the party’s ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’ march had reached Wazirabad. A PTI supporter, identified as Muazzam Nawaz, had lost his life, while 14 party leaders and workers were injured. Mr Khan was then shifted to Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital in Lahore.

The party then decided to hold protests across the country. However, its protests were mostly held in Punjab and KP.

Last month, Imran Khan held a public meeting in Peshawar and then went to Lahore and did not return to Islamabad. It created an impression that Mr Khan did not come to Islamabad to avoid his arrest as Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah was threatening to arrest him.

Amir Mughal told this reporter that the Election Commission of Pakistan had already announced Dec 31 as the date for local bodies elections. He said the federal government had been arresting PTI workers to keep them from filing nomination papers.

“There are 101 union councils (UCs) in the city and 13 workers are required to file nomination papers for each of the UC. As around 1,400 workers are required, so we have been trying to avoid their arrest. We have filed an application in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Nov 8 to stop the government from arrests and harassment of our workers,” he said.

Mr Mughal said the PTI workers would start protests in the federal capital after completion of filing of nomination papers.

“We are not scared of arrests. We are ready to even sacrifice our lives for the party chairman,” he said and added that protests would start in Islamabad after Nov 11.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2022