LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) staged massive protest demonstrations and sit-ins in Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan on Saturday at the call of party chief Imran Khan. The protesters, including youngsters and women, continued chanting “go, Nawaz go”.

In Lahore, PTI workers and supporters also continued holding sit-ins at Lalik Chowk and Liberty Roundabout, where youth activists and civil society members watched Khan’s addresses at mega screens.

The protest sit-in organised by the PTI Lahore district that began at 1pm at Faisal Chowk in front of Punjab Assembly continued till around 8pm and the participants then moved on to the Liberty Roundabout sit-in.

Party leaders, including office-bearers and party candidate in the general elections, addressed the charged workers the whole day and demanded that the government established on the basis of fake mandate quit.

At Faisal Chowk, PTI core committee member Mahmoodur Rasheed said the prime minister had breached parliamentarians’ privilege by telling a lie on the floor of the National Assembly on the role of the army chief in political talks. He said Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Khurshid Shah should bring a privilege motion in the assembly

PTI Punjab general secretary Dr Yasmin Rashid said the party’s peaceful protests would continue till the people get rid of Sharif family’s monarchism. She said Mr Khan was fighting for the rights of poor masses. She said the nation was alive to the situation and no one could stop the making of “Naya Pakistan”.

Dr Rashid said Mr Sharif had lied in the National Assembly as he was confused due to public pressure. She said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had got killed 14 people in Model Town on June 17 but later said he did not know about the police action.

She said PTI workers were standing by the party chief in the trying times and would rest only after earning true independence from the clutches of fake-mandate rulers.

PTI Lahore president Abdul Aleem Khan said the government had been trapped in its own plot and the change was imminent in Pakistan. He said Lahore had given a great response to Mr Khan on Aug 14 and would become a PTI forte in the next elections. He said the masses would hold rulers accountable for giving statements about the army.

In Faisalabad, the PTI workers staged a sit-in at Kutchery Bazaar Chowk.

The police had blocked all roads leading to the Kutchery Bazaar and diverted traffic to alternative routes. The workers said they would follow the instructions of party chief Imran Khan and continue protests.

In Multan, workers chanted slogans against the PML-N government.

Published in Dawn, August 31th, 2014