The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has warned that if the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) does not announce the election schedule as soon as possible, it will initiate the ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ movement. During a meeting with Senator Ijaz Chaudhry, the movement’s focal person, the party’s chairman, Imran Khan, discussed the details of the movement.
According to the PTI, arrests will be conducted in phases beginning with the announcement of the launch date of the movement. On the first day of the movement, 200 workers and five leaders from Lahore will be taken into custody, and on the second day, 200 party workers and five leaders from Peshawar will participate in the movement. The movement will continue daily, and the party leaders and workers from the city will present themselves for arrest. In the movement, approximately 3,000 workers will be present from major cities in Pakistan.
Imran Khan instructed Ijaz Chaudhry to collect data from all provincial and division presidents, and the senator promised to review the preparations for the movement in all provinces and submit a report soon.
There was a separate PTI meeting to discuss the Punjab Assembly elections, which have been postponed due to indecision between the ECP and the provincial governor. The meeting was chaired by Imran Khan, and PTI leaders, including Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry, Farrukh Habib, Mussarat Jamshed Cheema, and Hammad Azhar, attended.
The party awarded a ticket for the by-election in NA-126 Lahore to Hammad Azhar, the central Punjab general secretary and former federal minister. During the meeting, legal matters were discussed, including the constitutional role of President Arif Alvi.
During a press conference with Fawad Chaudhry and Hammad Azhar, Asad Umar, the Secretary General of the PTI, reiterated the need to announce an election date for the Punjab Assembly immediately. According to him, if this does not occur, the party will launch the Jail Bharo movement, adding that “we will take all possible measures to defend the Constitution.”
Umar reminded that the Lahore High Court had issued a clear order that the Punjab Assembly elections be held within 90 days, and the ECP should immediately announce the date of the elections after consulting the Punjab governor.
Fawad Chaudhry accused Maryam Nawaz, the senior vice president of the PML-N, of launching a social media campaign against the judiciary. He alleged that the social media handles that praised the ECP also ridiculed the superior courts, and Maryam Nawaz appeared to be leading this campaign.
Hammad Azhar condemned the government’s actions against former federal finance minister Shaukat Tarin, questioning what his crime was. He added that Tarin was being held responsible for the economic mess caused by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and former federal finance minister Miftah Ismail.
PTI urges the ECP to announce the Punjab Assembly election date as soon as possible, as any further delay may lead to the launch of the Jail Bharo Tehreek.
