Imran to lead election rally today, says PTI, Maryam wants polls after accountability

LAHORE/ SHEIKHUPURA: As the date for polls in Punjab is drawing closer, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Monday announced the beginning of its election campaign on Wednesday (March 8).

PTI leader Hammad Azhar, during a presser along with other party leaders in Lahore, said that party Chairman Imran Khan will lead the election rally on Wednesday.

Azhar, meanwhile, added that the rally would start from the PTI chief’s residence in Lahore’s Zaman Park and end at Data Darbar. Khan will lead the rally while seated inside a bomb-proof vehicle to ensure his security.

Censuring Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, the former minister said that he was crying for elections not to take place.

“When that lion [Imran Khan] will leave Zaman Park on Wednesday, there will be historic scenes in Lahore. Future generations would read and see the pictures and videos of [this event]. They will understand this is how a nation becomes alive,” the PTI politician said.

The rally will start from Zaman Park and after passing through the Mall Road Underpass, FC College Underpass, Ichhra, Ferozepur Road close to Muslim Town Morr, Samnabad, LOS Chowk, Lytton Road, MAO College, PMG Chowk, Government College and Central Model School, it will conclude at Data Darbar.

Imran will address the rally at the Data Darbar and announce his future line of action. Senior PTI leaders, including President Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, are also likely to attend the rally.

Hammad Azhar stated that the ‘imported’ government and its leaders were frustrated after seeing its popularity graph of Imran. He termed the present rulers as a security risk for Pakistan and urged the workers from Lahore to show full enthusiasm and fervour to bring the PTI into power again.

On the other hand, addressing a worker's convention in Sheikhupura, Senior Vice President of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz, Maryam Nawaz, Tuesday said that the elections would be followed by accountability. The PMLN leader said that her party was prepared for the elections and would emerge victorious but a few things must be placed in order first. She dubbed former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar as a pharaoh and claimed that the ex-CJ set his own standards of justice. Nawaz Sharif, the three-time prime minister, was subjected to political persecution, said Maryam.

She added that former CJP Saqib Nisar has withdrawn the certificate of ‘Sadiq and Ameen’ given to Imran Khan.

Referring to the former chief justice’s claim of ‘WhatsApp hack’, Maryam Nawaz said that the nation’s future had been hacked, not Nisar’s WhatsApp.

In an obvious reference to Saqib Nisar’s statement about writing a book on his career to be published after his death, she said a person who observes silence till death has no courage to face the nation.

She said the people wanted to know why her family and PMLN leaders were subjected to discrimination.

Why former premier Nawaz Sharif was sent to jail and why Imran Khan has been walking free, she asked, adding why the nation’s destiny was handed over to an addict.

“He is not only ineligible and dishonest but is the most cowardly person ever in the history of the country,” she remarked.

She alleged that former spymaster Faiz Hameed had approached Justice Shaukat and told him that if Nawaz was not disqualified, their two-year of manoeuvring would become futile. She also termed the PTI’s “court arrest movement” as a bigger failure and added that the PTI leadership kept asking their workers for court arrest while they were sitting at home themselves out of fear.

Maryam said there was no comparison between PMLN supremo Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan as Nawaz was a brave person who faced jail in tough circumstances while Imran had never been to jail.

The PTI chairman concealed offshore company, diamonds, foreign funding accounts, billions of rupees through Toshakhana and many other things, said Maryam, adding he also concealed his own daughter from the nation.