ISLAMABAD: Interior Mini­ster Rana Sanaullah Khan has claimed that the court arrest campaign (Jail Bharo Tehreek) launched by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has backfired.

While suggesting Mr Khan to stop dreaming about returning to power, the interior minister told a presser that it was just like a movie flopping soon after its release, as the call for court arrest to fill jails got a lackluster response from the masses. He said the PTI could only gather around 400 people in the provincial capital of Punjab.

However, the arrest of PTI workers belied the claim of PML-N leaders that the government had no plan to arrest party workers.

Mr Sanaullah and former minister Talal Chaudhry at separate press conferences claimed that the government had decided not to arrest the PTI workers in its court arrest drive, but police arrested more than 80 workers and leaders and shifted them to jail under Maintenance of Public Order ordinance.

Rana Sanaullah insists general elections to all assemblies be held in one go

“The arrest of women and poor workers would be avoi­ded,” Mr Sanaullah had earlier tweeted.

Also, Mr Chaudhry told the presser that the government would not arrest any PTI worker on the wish of Mr Khan. “Imran’s own children are in London and he wants the children of this county to go to jail. We have no plan to arrest the PTI workers,” he declared, asking the PTI chief to court arrest instead of asking his workers to do so.

Later during the press conference, Mr Sanaullah said, “Only 80 PTI workers including some around four party leaders voluntarily presented themselves for arrest contrary to government estimates that at least 500 workers would have to be taken to jail,” he said, adding that the police only had to use three vans for the voluntary arrests.

The PTI had launched its movement on February 22 from Lahore with the resolve the protest will expand to other parts of the country.

Mr Sanaullah alleged that former prime minister was trying to create chaos in the country once again but the people had rejected him for a third time following PTI’s May 25 sit-in and another protest rally held in Rawalpindi in November 26.

He vowed that the ruling alliance led by Pakistan Democratic Movement would not succumb to the pressure tactics of the PTI chief. He said foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had even offered him an olive branch to steer the country out of economic crisis, but the ex-premier converted political opposition into an animosity. “If you consider us enemy, then you are our enemy as well,” the interior minister said.

Mr Khan should keep in mind that no one would provide him red carpet this time to get into the power corridors. “You want to take the country hostage but we will not let this happen.”

He also accused the PTI of conspiring to bring political instability, which was linked with economic stability of the country. On behalf of the coalition government, the minister thanked the people of Punjab and Lahore for not becoming part of PTI’s protest movement.

Elections in one go

In an indirect reference to President Arif Alvi’s move to fix elections to the provincial assemblies of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, the minister said the government believed that holding election to Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assemblies would disturb the constitutional scheme.

He was of the opinion that that free and fair general elections could not be held without caretaker set-ups in all the provinces. “This is our opinion that general election to NA and provincial assemblies should be held simultaneously. He said Mr Khan got the assemblies ‘dissolved by force’ and then started demanding polls.

The interior minister expressed the hope that the Supreme Court that took suo motu notice on the provincial elections would look into all related issues.

He also said the PML-N government had already shown its reservation about two judges of the apex court.

Zulqernain Tahir in Lahore also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2023