ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR: PTI Chairman Imran Khan today said that his party’s Islamabad long march will begin on May 25 and he will meet his workers and supporters at 3pm at the Srinagar Highway. He said that he would lead the long-march from Peshawar.
PTI chairman made the announcement at a press conference in Peshawar after concluding a meeting of the PTI’s core committee. The former prime minister was flanked by several party leaders, including Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Mahmood Khan.
Later, taking to Twitter, he told his followers that he wants the “entire nation to come to Islamabad” adding that he would be leading the long march from Peshawar.
Khan demanded a date for a fresh election as well as the dissolution of assemblies. He also sent a message to the country’s military and asked it to adhere to its promise of “neutrality.”
He said that people from all walks of life should be joining his long march, especially women, and added that he will remain in Islamabad for as long as it will be required.
“We are ready to sacrifice our lives but will never accept these thieves ruling the country,” he said. “We need a date for the fresh elections and a dissolution of the assemblies.”
The former prime minister said that the PTI had always been a peaceful party and had “never instigated violence or chaos.”
“This isn’t politics, but this is jihad (holy war). If they [the government] tried to stop the long march, that would be illegal and we will take action against it if that happens.”
‘Most corrupt people came to power’
At the beginning of the press briefing, Khan praised the progress his government made during its tenure and criticised the incumbent setup for pushing the country towards bankruptcy.
He then reiterated that a United States-backed conspiracy, “hatched with the connivance of the most corrupt people”, ended up becoming successful in removing him and coming to power.
Khan said that he had learned of the “conspiracy” in June last year, adding that he had been trying hard to ward it off but, unfortunately, his efforts bore no fruit.
“This conspiracy was not hatched against me but it was a plot against Pakistan,” he said, adding that his government was sent packing at a time when the country was moving towards unprecedented progress in terms of, inter alia, industrial growth and a record-breaking increase in the gross domestic product (GDP).
He then talked about how his government fought against the coronavirus pandemic and steered the country out of the crisis for which the “entire world praised Pakistan.”
