PTI chief asks supporters to get ready for ‘Jail Bharo’ movement
Imran says PTI could have opted for a nationwide strike, but will choose to fill the prisons instead in light of the fears that the country’s economy might deteriorate further
Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday asked his workers and supporters to prepare for “Jail Bharo” movement across the country.
Imran’s comments come in the wake of sedition cases filed against his party’s Senior Vice-president Fawad Chaudhry and former member of National Assembly Shandana Gulzar, while Senator Azam Swati and Shahbaz Gill were booked earlier for speaking against the military.
During his televised address, the deposed prime minister said his party could have opted for a nationwide strike, but will choose to fill the prisons instead in light of the fears that the country’s economy might deteriorate further.
“We have two options: Considering what they have been doing, we could have gone for a wheel-jam strike and demonstrations — which is also a way and a democratic one.”
“But since the state of economy is so bad, it’ll worsen. Therefore, I ask all my workers, the Pakistani nation and everyone to prepare for Jail Bharo movement,” Imran said.
The former premier, while addressing the youth and nation, said that his party won’t stay quiet on the violence being inflicted on his party’s members. “Instead of causing destruction, we would now prepare Jail Bharo movement.”
“It was their plan to weaken Tehreek-eInsaf by frightening and threatening,” the PTI chief said.
Imran claimed his party never commited such atrocities in its tenure as the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government in the centre has.
“Chaudhry was picked up from home at 3am. What did Shandana Gulzar do that made her a terrorist. As the court gives bail to Sheikh Rashid, more cases are being filed against him,” the PTI chairman said, insisting how action has been taken against every person who called out the regime change.
The PTI chairman said that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar first threatened the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and now he has bowed down before the international lender.
Earlier, Imran slammed the “imported government” for demolishing street vendor carts, established under Ehsaas Rehriban initiative, in Islamabad’s I-10 sector.
The PTI chief took to Twiter to share a slew of photos showing dismantled carts and products of vendors are scatered on the roadside ater what appears an anti-encroachment operation.
In a separate development, a bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) was changed on Saturday ater former chief justice of Pakistan Itikhar Mohammad Chaudhry expressed lack of confidence in a judge and requested him not to hear his lawsuit against Imran Khan.
The PTI chief had accused Chaudhry of being a party to, what he called, poll rigging in the 2013 general elections.
The former chief justice termed these allegations defamatory and took Imran to court, claiming Rs20 billion in damages.
An IHC division bench, comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Babar Satar, is scheduled to hear the case on Feb.9.
Justice Satar was removed and Justice Arbab Tahir was inducted in his place in the bench.
Chaudhry filed a civil miscellaneous application before the IHC, requesting Justice Satar to recuse himself from hearing the case as the judge had writen newspaper articles in 2013 and 2014 criticising the then chief justice. Satar had writen the articles before becoming a judge.
His bias is floating on the surface against Chaudhry, the former chief justice said, citing excerpts from the columns.
He stated in the application that Justice Babar criticised the petitioner as chief justice of Pakistan, particularly ater his restoration as the country’s top judge in 2009 “because of his [Justice Satar’s] bias.”
“Therefore, the learned judge may not adorn the bench as judge,” the application stated.
The application asked the court that “the learned judge may recuse himself from hearing the petition in the interest of justice.”
The former chief justice filed the application through his counsel, Mohinuddin Aamir Mughal, and cited Imran as respondent.