LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Punjab, on Thursday staged rallies across all districts, sending a strong message that the party leaders and workers stood resolute against the regime change orchestrated three years ago.
Several PTI leaders, workers, and supporters have reported being arrested by police, who had established pickets on the respective rallies’ routes.
PTI founder Imran Khan’s federal government was ‘toppled’ on April 10, 2022, after the alliance of the then-opposition parties tabled a no-confidence motion.
The protest rallies’ call was given by PTI Punjab chief organiser Aliya Hamza Malik to all stakeholders at the district level, including legislators and ticket-holders, to revive their resolve that they would continue standing loyal to party founder Imran Khan and give the message – “We have not forgotten the regime change”.
She said elected prime minister Imran Khan was ousted through a “foreign and internal conspiracy” orchestrated on the night of April 10. She claimed that rallies were held at every constituency, tehsil and districts level across the province.
The PTI body in NA-118 and PP-147, a constituency where Ms Malik had contested election against Hamza Shehbaz, staged rallies including a motorcycle rally on constituency roads. The protesters were carrying party flags and chanting slogans that the government should release Imran Khan from ‘illegal’ incarceration at Adiala Jail.
A large party workers rally led by Mubasher Awan Maqsood was organised in NA-70 (Sialkot). The party workers carrying posters and placards bearing Imran Khan’s pictures as well as party flags walked on different roads and streets to muster up support and build momentum to get Mr Khan released from jail and ensure a ‘fair’ political process should return to the country.
PTI MNA ticket-holder Latasab Satti staged a protest rally in NA-51 in Kahuta area as workers and supporters were carrying party flags. They chanted slogans and resolved that the party workers would compel the government to release Imran Khan from ‘illegal’ incarceration.
Speaking to Dawn, PTI Punjab leader Shayan Bashir said police arrested 40 party workers on Wednesday night as well as during and after rallies on Thursday across the province.
Mr Bashir, who himself was ‘kidnapped’ and illegally detained for two weeks and was later put on the Passport Control List (PCL), said the youth was fully charged and came out on its own initiative to protest against the ‘regime change conspiracy’, when democracy was defeated. He said the youth also filled the vacuum proactively, where party leaders and ticket-holders did not come out to lead `black day’ rallies.
“The party leaders, not able to shoulder the burden of Imran Khan’s ideology, have become redundant and youth is emerging as a new reality in almost every constituency in Punjab,” he said.
He said party founder Imran Khan was illegally incarcerated for the past over 600 days and he stood resolute and did not enter into any deal offered by the establishment and the ‘Form-47 government’. “Now youth will not let the Form-47 government dictate its decisions and if necessary, youth will take to the streets.
Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2025
