https://sputnikglobe.com/20221028/islamabad-braces-for-political-drama-as-imran-khans-long-march-kicks-off-1102783258.html

Islamabad Braces For Political Drama as Imran Khan's Long March Kicks Off

Islamabad Braces For Political Drama as Imran Khan's Long March Kicks Off

Sputnik International

Speaking to his supporters on the eve of the long march, Pakistan's ex-PM shed light on the past six months of his life. Ever since he was ousted from power in... 28.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-28T07:55+0000

2022-10-28T07:55+0000

2022-12-08T18:03+0000

world

imran khan

march

politics

opposition party

shehbaz sharif

islamabad

lahore

pakistan

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/08/15/1099833295_0:0:2807:1578_1920x0_80_0_0_aeba15a8700a3ce1953e93bcddf726cb.jpg

"We will start tomorrow (Friday) at 11 a.m. and we will gather at Liberty chowk in Lahore from where we will walk. The cars will be behind us and the containers also, but we will walk," Khan told his online audience during a Q and A session on Twitter.He further said that he plans to reach Shahdara Bagh (on the outskirts of Lahore) by nightfall on Friday and continue on to Islamabad after spending the night there.Shahdara Bagh is a historic precinct located across the Ravi River from the old center, the Walled City of Lahore. It is the site of several Mughal-era monuments, including the Tomb of Jahangir, the Akbari Sarai, the Tomb of Asif Khan and Baradari of Kamran Mirza.When answering a question regarding the last six months of his life and how he has been dealing with the unfolding situation in the country, Khan said that he had never seen anything like this before."The last six months in Pakistan and all that I have witnessed, I had never seen anything like this, anywhere else before. This is not what happens in a democracy. Even during Musharraf's era, when I was in the opposition, I did not see anything like that," Khan said.Khan explained that the political drama of the past six months is ruining the image of the country, but added "with a stick you can fix an animal, but not humans."To Ensure Provision of JusticeFollowing Khan's session on Twitter, PTI's social media lead, Jibran Ilyas, added that today's Pakistan is not the Pakistan of the 90s, since people are more politically aware, and the second purpose of the march is to ensure the provision of justice to every citizen of the country.Since being removed from office in a no-confidence vote in the legislature in April, Khan has held protests across the country calling for snap elections. However, this long march is set to be the largest one yet.Earlier on Tuesday, Khan held a press conference in Lahore during which he said that he was marching to press the government to announce elections immediately, but he urged his supporters to avoid violence.Security Boosted Around IslamabadThe Pakistani government has announced that Khan and his supporters will be barred from entering the country's capital.The authorities are set to deploy about 30,000 law enforcement officers to Islamabad, while media reports claim hundreds of containers were allegedly sent to the capital to barricade all entry points before the demonstrators arrive next week.Earlier, the government of Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting of the party leaders wherein plans were set to crush the long march through the power of law, reads a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s office.Khan has repeatedly denounced accusations against him, with the most recent being the Toshakhana case: last week, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) barred the ex-premier from contesting elections in the country for the time being.The Toshakhana case was initiated over Khan's alleged failure to properly account for monetary proceeds from the sale of gifts he had received from foreign dignitaries while he was prime minister. The gifts were stored at the state gift repository called Toshakhana.The verdict also formally removed Khan from the National Assembly seat he had retained in 2018.So far, multiple reports have suggested that Khan's disqualification would end with the expiry of the tenure of the assembly, by next year.Advocate Faisal Hussain, a senior member of PTI's legal team, told Dawn that the party won't challenge the verdict in the Supreme Court since the ECP was not the relevant forum to order Khan's disqualification anyway.Hence, the verdict will likely be dismissed by the High Court."The verdict itself is weak and cannot sustain, since it is flawed," Hussain said.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221023/barred-from-elections-imran-khans-popularity-will-only-grow-further-analyst-says-1102550504.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221022/imran-khan-slams-pakistan-election-commission-mafia-after-being-barred-from-public-office-1102525890.html

islamabad

lahore

pakistan

2022

News

en_EN

imran khan, march, politics, opposition party, shehbaz sharif, islamabad, lahore, pakistan