SWABI/ ISLAMABAD/ MULTAN/SUKKUR/QUETTA: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders vowed here on Saturday to continue their struggle to get back the ‘stolen mandate’ and secure the release of party founder Imran Khan but made it clear that the party did not want a confrontation with the state institutions.
Addressing a rally at the Swabi Interchange to mark the first anniversary of the 2024 general election as a ‘black day’, the PTI leaders alleged that the last general election was rigged, a ‘fake’ government was installed and the party mandate was stolen under a well-planned strategy.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party head Mahmood Khan Achakzai, PTI Central General Secretary Salman Akram Raja, former speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser, PTI KP President Junaid Akbar, Sheikh Waqas and other leaders addressed the rally.
A number of PTI leaders and workers were arrested in Multan, Muzaffarabad and other cities where the party held rallies against last year’s controversial elections.
PTI KP Chapter President Junaid Akbar revealed that the incarcerated PTI founder would soon give another call for protest. He said the PTI workers, through the massive public gathering, conveyed a message that they were not tired of protests. About the PTI’s next protest, he said: “We will take to the streets with preparations to face bullets.” He, however, clarified that they did not want a confrontation with the state institutions.
He reaffirmed that the PTI workers must remain prepared for Imran Khan’s next call to action. “The ruling authorities failed to break Dr Yasmin Rashid, Aliya Hamza, Sanam Javed and Tayyaba Raja. How can they expect to break the PTI’s dedicated workers?” he remarked.
For his part, KP’s firebrand chief minister warned that if his party decided to take revenge, then the ruling coalition “won’t be able to bear it”. He said that Pakistan would suffer if hatred increased. He declared that under the leadership of Imran Khan, they would move forward to uphold the rule of law and constitutional supremacy.
He asserted that they were prepared to fight and even lay down their lives against any oppression in this struggle. He reiterated that an ideology could not be killed, suppressed or intimidated. He claimed that Imran Khan had won even from behind bars, while those who stole the people’s mandate were facing defeat despite holding power.
He accused Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of creating a rift between the military and the public, warning that the growing divide was detrimental to the nation. The CM urged state institutions to stand with the people rather than with ‘mandate thieves’.
He said that Imran Khan had always been ready to fight for Pakistan and that his supporters shared the same commitment. “If you are not willing to engage in dialogue, remember that we also know how to respond,” he said.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan, speaking at the rally, stressed the need to resolve political issues through dialogue, highlighting that former prime minister Imran Khan had called for negotiations. He said the PTI had formed committees at various stages to facilitate negotiations, but the government failed to demonstrate wisdom.
Gohar said Imran Khan would soon issue another call for mass mobilisation, urging the PTI workers to participate in large numbers. “Pakistan cannot function without Prisoner No. 804, Imran Khan, and he will soon be among the people again,” he asserted. He also condemned the alleged rigging in the previous elections, claiming that despite the PTI being deprived of its electoral symbol, people voted overwhelmingly for its candidates under alternative symbols. However, he alleged that the mandate was stolen in the dark of night.
Salman Akram Raja, speaking at the gathering, conveyed Imran Khan’s message, asserting that the PTI won the elections on February 8, 2024, and would continue to win in future. He described the PTI as a disciplined party devoid of internal divisions and misconduct. “The entire nation stands with Imran Khan,” he added.
In his address, Asad Qaiser said the Swabi rally demonstrated the people’s unwavering support for Imran Khan and their rejection of what he termed a stolen mandate.
Former federal minister Noorul Haq Qadri declared that the Swabi rally would prove to be the final nail in the government’s coffin, predicting that Imran Khan would soon reclaim the country’s leadership.
Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai called for removal of the government which was installed through ‘electoral fraud’. He declared that Pakistan was sinking due to misrule and economic distress.
Achakzai said the Pashtun community was not terrorist, asserting that KP was rich in resources but was being systematically looted. He called for upholding the supremacy of the Constitution and parliament, stating that the people of KP stood firmly with Imran Khan. “The homeland is like our mother. Anyone who casts an evil eye on it will face consequences,” he warned.
Separately, a heavy police contingent thwarted the PTI rallies staged on a ‘black day’ in various cities on Saturday, as the Punjab government imposed Section 144 across the province.
The law-enforcement agencies arrested several key PTI leaders, including Mehrbano Qureshi, daughter of PTI Senior Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, MPA Dlair Khan Mahar, and Zahid Bahar Hashmi. The arrests occurred when the PTI leaders led a motorcade rally through Pull Chathha in Makhdoom Rashid, where police intercepted them. Officers forcibly removed them from their vehicles and took them into custody, subsequently transporting them to an undisclosed location.
Also, law-enforcement authorities arrested 15 PTI workers in Jaranwala connection with their planned February 8 protest, sources confirmed. The arrests were made at multiple locations, with the detainees taken to different police stations. However, no prominent PTI leaders or members of parliament were among those arrested.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government cited security threats as the reason for enforcing Section 144.
Also, the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) and PTI Saturday marked the ‘black day’ in various cities of Sindh. Protests rallies were held in all major cities to voice opposition to the alleged mandate theft. Those attending the rallies were Abdul Karim Shar, Pyaro Khan Phulpoto and others. They said the general election last year was rigged and manipulated and demanded fresh elections in the country.
They also rejected construction of canals on Indus River. They charged President Asif Ali Zardari with handing over Sindh to ‘criminals’, who were kidnapping innocent citizens. They claimed that due to unrest in Sindh, many Hindu families had left their motherland and shifted to India.
Following the call of Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-i-Aaiyeen-i-Pakistan, a rally was held in Quetta where protesters chanted slogans against the 26th Constitutional Amendment and demanded the release of former prime minister Imran Khan.
The rally began at the Metropolitan Corporation, passed through various roads and culminated at the Bacha Khan Chowk. Speakers at the gathering included Abdul Rahim Ziawatwal and Kabir Afghan from the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, PTI’s Dawood Shah Kakar, and Allama Hasnain from Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen. They condemned the alleged manipulation in the February 8 general election and violation of the Constitution.
Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) Secretary General Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidari asserted that religious parties must take the lead in saving the country, as only they could ensure stability.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, he rejected the February 8 elections as engineered, claiming democracy had been replaced by selection. He criticised the deteriorating law and order situation, particularly in Balochistan, where he alleged the state’s authority had weakened. He also condemned the arrests of PTI workers in Multan and Punjab, saying that peaceful protest was a constitutional right.
Meanwhile, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari dismissed PTI’s Swabi rally as mere rhetoric, claiming the people of KP have faced turmoil and decline over the past 12 years.
Speaking at a press conference at DGPR, she said that while Pakistan celebrates progress, a certain political party remains stuck in complaints and despair, offering nothing but corruption and inflation to KP.