MULTAN, May 20 (APP):Former prime minister Imran Khan Friday demanded dissolution of the assemblies and announcement of date for fresh election, else his party would march on Islamabad anytime between May 25 to 29.
Imran Khan asked the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers to prepare for the Islamabad March next week and said the party’s Core Committee was meeting on May 22 to finalise the final date.
He pointed out the “recent developments” following which 25 members of the Punjab Assembly were de-seated for violating party discipline, by the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Imran Khan has been demanding a fresh election since his government was ousted through a vote of no-confidence by the 11-party alliance. The PTI chairman, who has addressed a series of huge public gatherings across the country, gave the deadline of May 20 for the announcement of election date.
He gave details of achievements of his over three years government, including stabilisation of economy despite a global recession in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.
He asked the people, including men women, students, lawyers and intellectuals to join the march, which, he claimed, would be the largest in the history of South Asia.
He was critical of the alleged American pressure to conduct drone strikes inside Afghanistan and permission to use Pakistan’s space. He said the governments in the past failed to protest against the collateral damage caused by the drone strikes in the tribal areas.
Pakistan had fought other’s war and rendered sacrifices of 80,000 persons, he added.
He alleged that a conspiracy was hatched his government. He was a striking deal for cheap oil and wheat from Russia, he claimed, adding Pakistan was pressurized to condemn Russian-Ukraine war although “we (Pakistan) have nothing to do with it.”
He criticized the West, which, he said, had never raised their voice against Indian atrocities in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
He made it clear that he was not against any country but wanted relationships based on equality.
PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Aamir Dogar and other local leaders also addressed the meeting.