‘Search’ starts, ‘lockdown’ ends: Imran

ISLAMABAD: Within hours after vowing to hold a historic protest on November 2, Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf  Imran Khan on Tuesday withdrew his protest call and announced observing a thanksgiving day (Yaum-e-Tashakur) on Wednesday following the Supreme Court’s decision to pursue the PTI petitions against the prime minister on the Panama Leaks.

Imran told the media outside his Bani Gala residence that the Supreme Court would start ‘searching’ the prime minister from November 3 and it was his party’s moral victory. He asked the party workers to assemble at the Parade Ground on Wednesday for celebrations.

“This is happening for the first time in Pakistan’s history that someone powerful will be searched,” the PTI chairman on the eve of his much-touted ‘lockdown’ of the federal capital maintained.

Imran and other top PTI leaders mostly spent their time at Bani Gala after a police crackdown on the PTI youth convention and arrests of several party workers on October 27. Some TV channels reported that a musical show would be held at Bani Gala to mark the PTI’s achievement on the Panama Papers’ investigation. However, Sibghatullah Virk, a member of the PTI Central Media Centre, denied any such mention here that two PTI workers injured in skirmishes and teargas shelling on Monday night during Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervaiz Khattak's march towards Islamabad died on Tuesday. Besides, a three-day baby had also expired on October 28 due to excessive teargas shelling on the day the Awami Muslim League of Sheikh Rashid had announced a rally in Rawalpindi.

The PTI chairman was all praise for CM Khattak and the provincial chapter of the party and those who braved teargas shelling and violence by the Punjab police in their bid to reach Islamabad. He explained again why they had decided to come out on November 2 and lock down Islamabad after the state institutions could not give justice to his party. He said he had set two conditions to call off his protest only if the prime minister resigned or agreed to the opposition’s terms of reference for his accountability.

Earlier, before the hearing at the supreme court, Khan, talking to the media, castigated the federal and Punjab governments for what he alleged fanning hatred among provinces by resorting to massive shelling on the elected chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, his cabinet and party supporters who wanted to meet him at Bani Gala. What happened on Monday, he feared, would add to parochialism among the federating units. A chief minister of a province had the constitutional right to make a free movement anywhere, but the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and his entourage were denied this constitutional right by the PML-N government, he said.

He called the prime minister a security risk and explained why he was alleging so and even went on to charge that he (Nawaz) would not hesitate to seek help from Indo-Israel lobbies to protect his wealth. He said Nawaz Sharif had nothing to do with Pakistan or its people and pointed to his assets, business and wealth abroad. He said the PM’s only concern was to pile up more and more wealth and then protect it.

Replying to questions, Imran contended if asking for justice from courts regarding the government crackdown on his party workers was tantamount to pressurising judiciary. "If we want to know from courts why we are being baton-charged, roads are being blocked and women are being arrested and manhandled... is this pressurising the courts?" he asked. He said he wanted to know the reason behind manhandling of his party workers and why was he put under house arrest and under what law? He flayed the prime minister for corruption and not allowing a peaceful protest and charged that Nawaz Sharif contested elections with ISI money in the past.

About AML leader Sheikh Rashid's view that Imran should step down from Bani Gala, he said: "The captain works according to his own strategy. I have my strategy." He had earlier said he had a strategy for November 2 when he would leave Bani Gala for the capital.  It is interesting to note that besides Imran, all key PTI leaders had camped in the hill-top locality and their workers were asked to make their way to the federal capital on their own. 

“Imran should have joined us in Pindi,” Sheikh Rashid said on Tuesday. Talking to reporters outside the supreme court, he said he did not complain during war times but the PTI chief should have joined his party in Rawalpindi at any cost. "Now the army needs to decide if they are with (Turkish President) Erdogan or with people," he said in an obvious reference to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. In reply to a question, he made it clear that he was not inviting the army. He emphasised that Musharraf was a dictator, but he was better than these thieves. "We will not spare the prime minister and will follow him like a stinger or silkworm missile until he is sacked," he asserted. 

PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s decision to call off the proposed November 2 lockdown of the federal capital brought jubilation to a tense government camp on Tuesday. Reacting to the decision, government camp said Imran Khan’s decision to call off dharna was nothing but the statement of the captain of the defeated team. 

Appreciating Imran Khan’s decision of deferring the sit-in, Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development (CAD) Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry advised him to adopt the path of constructive politics.

In a statement on Tuesday, Tariq Fazal asked who would hold Imran Khan accountable for wasting time and billions of rupees of the nation. “We welcome decision of the PTI chairman of calling off sit-in in Islamabad, as it will result in ending a situation of uncertainty in the country and restore trust in institutions,” he said.

He said it was due to the strategy and administrative measures taken by the federal government that the routine life continued in the federal capital, as private and government offices and educational institutions remained opened in the twin cities.

He also lauded the interior minister for leading from the front in formulating a strategy to stop the invasion of a mob from entering the federal capital. Dr Tariq Fazal also thanked the traders, lawyers and teachers who called on him and conveyed their decision to continue their activities and stay away from the agitation.

Agencies add: Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique said cancellation of plan to lock down Islamabad by the PTI was a victory of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N)’s principled stance.

“It has proved that ‘decisions’ could not be imposed through protests or demonstrations, as the Supreme Court has now taken up the Panama Papers issue, which gave a clear message that it would prepare terms of reference for the inquiry commission if not agreed by political parties,” he said.

He said PTI chief Imran Khan had wasted seven months of the nation in delaying investigation into the Panama Papers. Imran Khan should now leave ‘politics of agitation’, he added. Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Talal Chaudhry Tuesday said the cancellation of lockdown plan by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) was a victory of democratic system.

Talking in a TV programme said the apex court would investigate the PanamaLeaks issue and the government would respect the court decision. Talal Chaudhry said the PTI had lost popularity among the masses due to its wrong policies and it wanted to do politics on PanamaLeaks to gain popularity but it again failed. He said the PTI was doing politics of agitation and chaos that was badly defaming the image of the country internationally.