ISLAMABAD: PTI failed to mobilise party workers, people for Aug 14 demonstrations despite PTI founder Imran Khan’s call for party leaders and workers to take to the streets on August 14 for ‘real freedom.’
There was hardly any mobilisation witnessed or reported anywhere in the country. The electronic media also did not report any PTI protests or rallies. When The News approached PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and asked if the party leadership had failed to mobilise workers and the public on their founder’s call, his terse reply was: “It was not a protest. It was rather a ‘Haqiqi Azadi’ celebration, raising voices for Imran Khan Sahib’s release—and we all did. We had decided to do it in our districts, so I was in Buner.” When asked if any attempt was made to meet the incarcerated PTI supremo Imran Khan in Adiala jail, he clarified, “Today is a gazetted holiday, so no meeting was planned.”
Earlier, addressing an Independence Day ceremony at the University of Buner, Gohar said the ‘Juma Bazar’ of political manipulation and conversion should come to an end, urging everyone to take a step back and join hands for the country. He pointed out that the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was most worrying. “We do not support the ongoing operation in Bajaur,” he maintained. The PTI chairman also emphasised that the purpose of freedom is not to suppress anyone’s voice but to advance democracy.
Aleema Khan, citing her sister Dr. Uzma Khan—who met Imran Khan at Adiala jail on August 6—told the media that Imran had called for protests demanding ‘real freedom’ on August 14. He wanted the party leadership to mobilise the public for this purpose. She quoted the PTI founder as saying that party leaders should not fear jail or anything else and must lead and mobilise the people.
Meanwhile, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram claimed that a “sea of people” took to the streets across the country on Independence Day, shattering the idols of fear and defying fascism and tyranny. He asserted that the public reaction was a resounding referendum against the ‘imposed hybrid’ regime. In a statement issued here, he said the unprecedented public outpouring—with Pakistan and PTI flags and portraits of Quaid-i-Azam and the unlawfully jailed PTI Patron-in-Chief Imran Khan—sent a clear message that Pakistan and Imran Khan are inseparable. He claimed the nation has spoken, declaring that no force can suppress its will, and the masses have unequivocally stated that only Imran Khan can steer Pakistan through turbulent waters. When The News tried to seek his comment on his claim of a ‘sea of people’ taking to the streets, he was unavailable for a response.
