LAHORE: PTI plans to conclude its rallies under the ‘election karao, mulk bachao’, campaign by Friday. Large public gathering in the provincial capital where party chief Imran Khan will announce his ‘final’ plan to dissolve the two provincial assemblies his party heads is planned for Saturday.
PTI leader Hammad Azhar said the party plans to hold simultaneous rallies at divisional headquarters on Saturday. The main rally will be arranged at Liberty Chowk Lahore. Imran Khan will address through a video link. The country will participate in the event through a video link,” he said.
The local and provincial leadership of the party, including Punjab President Dr Yasmin Rashid and Mr Azhar, met Mr Khan on Tuesday to finalize the plan and arrangements for, what they called, ‘D-Day’.
Senior Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal of the PTI, briefing the media said his party and its allies were “on the same page” on the dissolution of the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Section of the media quoted him saying that Punjab CM had already handed over a summary for the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly to Mr Khan. Many party members and allies reportedly remain divided over the plan. The dissolution does not make electoral and political sense, a view most of the parliamentarians hold.
The PTI parliamentarians hold this view for two reasons. Imran Khan never consulted them before announcing it at the Rawalpindi rally. An he never explain the benefits the party got by quitting the National Assembly.
“Funds have just started flowing into our constituencies. And quitting at this stage is a sure recipe for an electoral disaster. Funds will stop flowing and the PTI will be contesting the next elections as an opposition party. It hardly makes political sense if one takes a reasoned assessment of the prevailing situation,” he remarked.
Responding to the Omni Group’s defamation notice, PTI Chairman Imran Khan has demanded its withdrawal along with an apology. In his reply the PTI chief has termed the notice “baseless, illegal, fake and absolutely wrong.”
Last month, Omni Group Chief Executive Officer Abdul Ghani Majid had sent a Rs9 billion defamation notice to Mr Khan. He alleged IK in a speech claimed that the CEO had entered into a plea bargain with the National Accountability Bureau. In the notice, Mr Majid had demanded an unconditional apology within 14 days. He also said that the ex-premier should refrain from making baseless and fabricated allegations against the group in future.
In his reply the PTI chief termed the notice completely flawed under the rules of the Defamation Ordinance 2002. He said that 2018 JIT report revealed the close relationship etween the Omni Group, Zardari Group and Bahria Town. It is an admitted fact.
“Therefore, the notice sent by Omni Group is baseless, illegal, fake and completely wrong. The Omni Group should withdraw its notice immediately and tender an apology to the PTI chairman,” it stated.
