Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said on Wednesday that he was waiting for the Supreme Court’s (SC) verdict regarding the PTI’s petition on being able to hold a demonstration in Islamabad, before announcing the date of the party’s next march.
This comes after Imran had called off the protest that began as a long march on May 25 and ended as a sit-in in Islamabad, because the situation had turned violent. He gave the government six days to dissolve the assemblies and call an election in June or face more protests. This six-day deadline ended today.
Earlier on Wednesday, the PTI approached the SC, requesting it to direct the government and other relevant authorities not to resort to violence or create hindrances to those participating in the PTI’s second march in Islamabad, it was reported.
The petition, filed by PTI secretary general Asad Umar, said the SC should order that no PTI worker or leader should be arrested or tortured, raids on houses should not be carried out and the movement of people should not be barred.
Meanwhile, in a press conference on Tuesday, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah voiced hope that a case would be registered against PTI’s long march as “it was a criminal act that is punishable by Pakistan’s penal code.”
He highlighted that a subcommittee of the Cabinet has been formed to investigate the long march and it would brief the Cabinet for further proceedings if PTI was found to be the malefactor.
“This was not a march or a democratic movement. It was a criminal act,” he said. “We will use audio and video evidence released by PTI and I hope a case will be registered against it.”
But the PTI has said that the right to peacefully move, speak and express are enshrined in Articles 15, 16, 17, and 19 of the Constitution.
Meanwhile, addressing a social media conference, Imran said that the coalition government wants to scare the public and rule over it. He said that those who are facing corruption cases of billions of rupees are ruling Pakistan again.
Imran asked participants to carry on the movement against the “criminal government”.
