LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Imran Khan said on Friday his party “will not strike a deal with those who kept the nation in chains of slavery”.

PTI central media department said “in a special message to the nation through the party office-bearers who met him in Adiala jail on Friday, PTI founder chairman Imran Khan urged people to break shackles of slavery and stand up to achieve Haqeeqi Azadi, because freedom has never been gifted to any nation.”

The PTI chief’s statement was in quiet contrast to a claim made by party leader Shehryar Afridi who told Geo News in the evening that the party would soon hold a dialogue with the army chief and ISI DG instead of talking to those who returned to parliament through vote fraud.

Khan said since a slave nation had no future, he was ready to render any sacrifice whatsoever for nation’s true independence and would not strike a deal with those who kept the nation in chains of slavery.

Asks people to break shackles of slavery: party leaders assigned the task to lead protest rallies stay away

He said he had laid the foundation of PTI on April 25, 1996, on the principles of justice, humanity and self-esteem. The PTI has become the strongest and most formidable political force in the country despite all fascism and coercion.“I believe that once my nation is free in true sense, no one will be able to stop Pakistan from becoming a great country,” Imran Khan vowed.

However, Khan said a “king of the jungle was the main stumbling block and impediment in the path to true freedom, who established the worst dictatorship in the country by flouting the constitution and law of the country.

“The king of jungle’s stubbornness and ego to run the country according to his will instead of the constitution and law of the land became a source of destruction of the country’s economy, government system and even democracy and the judiciary,” he was quoted as saying in the central media release.

“Mr Khan said it was high time that every member of the nation should play his/her role to stop the ongoing destruction of the country and added that they should utilise their strength and resources given by Allah for achieving the true independence of the country.

“I will render any sacrifice to achieve Haqeeqi Azadi and will never compromise on my own freedom as well of the nation come what may,” he asserted in his message.

The PTI founding chairman said the nation should keep in mind that he had been jailed for the last nine months in absolutely bogus, false, fabricated and baseless cases.

RALLIES: PTI staged peaceful protest demonstrations and rallies in all districts in Punjab against “worst-ever rigging” in general and by-elections despite an overnight crackdown on the residences of party leaders and active workers.

According to reports, police arrested scores of party workers from their residences as well as from protest rallies in different parts of the province, including Lahore, Gujranwala, Daska, Shakargarh, and other districts. Several PTI leaders were put under house arrest.

While police blocked various roads and set up pickets, some party MPAs and second-tier leaders brought out small rallies in their respective constituencies.

The protesters demanded that the public mandate stolen by the incumbent PML-N government in connivance with the Election Commission of Pakistan be returned to elected candidates.

They demanded that the PTI’s election symbol “Bat” as well as its due reserved seats of women and minorities be returned.

The PTI’s main leadership, including almost all leaders nominated in a committee, constituted to plan and organise protests, were conspicuous by their absence from the protest rallies.

Small isolated rallies were held in different streets, but Lahore largely remained clam as is the case since May 9. The small protest activity in Lahore yet again reminded that that the PTI has no crowd-puller available in Lahore as they were either incarcerated or in self-proclaimed hiding.

PTI Central Punjab secretary general Hammad Azhar, who did not appear at any protest rally in the province, stated that the party leaders, legislators, ticket-holders and workers staged protest rallies across the province to demand and reclaim masses’ stolen mandate. He said the founder chairman had awakened the masses through his political struggle and now they were ready to claim their due rights.

Mr Azhar condemned police raids on party leaders’ residences, outhouses and offices in a bid to harass them on the instructions of “fake and stolen mandate” chief minister. He said the IGP would not be able to push PTI leaders, workers and supporters against the wall.

PTI Punjab information secretary Shaukat Basra said the nation had awakened and would raise its voice at all forums to get its due right.

According to reports and videos shared by the PTI, police raided thrice the outhouse of PTI ticket-holder for PP-151 Hammad Ali Awan to block protests against rigging in the April 21 by-elections. Similarly, police raided the residence and outhouse of PP-60 MPA Kaleem Ullah Khan and allegedly misbehaved with women and his employees.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2024