PTI rally demands release of Imran Khan

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) staged a protest rally here on Sunday to demand the forthwith release of party founder Imran Khan and express solidarity with the judiciary.

The protest call was given by Imran Khan who is undergoing a prison term after being convicted by courts in various cases.

Party Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan led the rally, which was attended by Omar Ayub Khan, the party secretary general and other leaders including Azam Khan Swati, Sher Afzal Marwat, Faisal Javed and Ali Muhammad Khan.

KP cabinet members, including Food Minister Zahir Shah Toru and other lawmakers, took part in the protest as well, which was staged outside the Peshawar Press Club on the busy Sher Shah Suri Road.

Donning the party caps, a large number of PTI workers turned up at the protest. They were carrying party flags and banners inscribed with slogans, seeking the release of Imran Khan.

Speaking to the protesting party workers and supporters, Barrister Gohar alleged that fake cases had been instituted against Imran Khan. “The cases should be quashed as these are alienating people from the state,” said the PTI chairman who is a senior lawyer by profession and hails from the Buner district of KP.

Gohar was happy with the presence of party workers at the rally and said it proved that the party was popular with the masses. He thanked the party workers for coming out of their homes in Ramazan on the call of party founder.

Sher Afzal Marwat, another party leader, said the protest arranged for the release of PTI founder and independence of the judiciary would continue. He renewed the party’s claim that the mandate had been stolen from the PTI in the general elections of February 8. “Leaders and workers will continue the struggle for reclaiming the mandate,” he pledged while terming the ruling parties as thieves.

Marwat alleged that usurpers had snatched independence from the judiciary. “The PTI will prove to be a bulwark in the struggle for independence of the judiciary,” he promised while appreciating the six judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for taking a stand against illegal activities.

Marwat alleged that the courts in Islamabad had punished the PTI founder in the Toshakhana case under pressure. “We will announce a countrywide campaign schedule after Eidul Fitr,” said the PTI leader.

Another PTI leader Faisal Javed said the party workers had proved loyalty to the party founder by coming on the roads for the release of their leader. He said the protest campaign would continue after Eidul Fitr.

Later, the protesters walked to the Peshawar High Court, which was the culmination point of the protest. A heavy contingent of police had been deployed on the route of the PTI procession on the Sher Shah Suri Road.

The vehicular traffic was disrupted as the Sher Shah Suri Road is a busy route used by many motorists and commuters along with the Saddar Road. The vehicles and motorcyclists remained stuck up on the Sher Shah Road and Sunehri Masjid Road during the protest.

The police had closed one lane of the Sher Shah Suri Road at the FC Chowk due to the PTI protest. The traffic was diverted to Saddar Road but that led to a mess there as well.