Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday encouraged his supporters and party leaders to join the party’s ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ – the Court of Arrest Movement – starting today against party Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Starting with the Secretary General. Asad Umar voluntarily presented himself before the authorities.
Khan announced the ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ earlier this month – in the wake of the coalition government’s arrests of key PTI leaders – apparently running out of options to put pressure on the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government. After that he was to be “prevented from political victimization”. “
“Today, we are launching our jail-Bharo campaign for Haqi’s freedom for two main reasons. One, it is a peaceful, non-violent protest against the attack on our constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights,” Khan wrote on Twitter today.
“Two, it is against the economic recession which has led to money laundering of billions of looted wealth by crooks and getting NROs for themselves and burdening the people, especially the poor and the middle class, with inflation and rising unemployment. Crushing under,” he added.
media ppl. Two, it is against the economic meltdown brought on by cabal of crooks who have money laundered billions in looted wealth & gotten NROs for themselves while crushing the ppl, esp the poor & middle class, under the burden of spiralling inflation & rising unemployment.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) February 22, 2023
Separately, to revive party workers’ enthusiasm for the judicial arrest movement, Khan released a video message, urging them to “fill the jails and smash the idols of fear”.
#جیل_بھرو__زندان_بھرو pic.twitter.com/YgMLzFIlNU
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) February 22, 2023
He appealed to all Pakistanis to join the movement for ‘real freedom’.
PTI senior vice-president Fawad Chaudhry had announced on Tuesday that the party would launch a movement to arrest senior party leaders and at least 200 workers in the first phase.
Qureshi had shared that four other PTI leaders including him would surrender and if the police did not arrest them, they would make another attempt from Multan.
The former foreign minister further said that ‘if the election process is started on the advice of President Arif Alvi, there will be no need for motion for judicial arrest’.
Fawad said that Khan has directed the party to start preparing for the upcoming elections. He urged the PTI candidates to start campaigning in their respective constituencies.
“Tomorrow our Jail Bharo movement is starting. Our entire leadership has agreed to give arrest phase by phase”-@fawadchaudhry pic.twitter.com/f6YM67Qt5u
— PTI (@PTIofficial) February 21, 2023
‘200 workers will surrender voluntarily’
PTI Lahore Chapter President Imtiaz Shaikh had announced that former Punjab Governor Umar Sarfraz Cheema, Waleed Iqbal, Murad Ras, Muhammad Khan Madani and Fawad Rasool along with 200 workers had voluntarily surrendered themselves to the authorities in the metropolis. will
He said that the movement will start from Charing Cross in Lahore at 2 pm.
“We will proceed with this step according to our party’s constitution,” said Fawad – whom Elahi had criticized last month but later retracted his statement.
‘Court arrest drive’ meant to create political instability: Rana Sanaullah
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the purpose of PTI’s judicial arrest campaign is to create political instability and law and order situation in the country.
While presiding over the meeting regarding law and order, he had said that Tehreek-e-Insaf wants to get media attention by creating a drama. “The miscreants should be exposed by presenting the evidence of their wrongdoings to the public,” he added.
قانون توڑنے والوں کےخلاف شواہد اکٹھے کرکے عوام کے سامنے لائے جائیں تاکہ قانون شکنوں کا اصل چہرہ بے نقاب ہو۔
— Rana SanaUllah Khan (@RanaSanaullahPK) February 21, 2023
خواتین اور غریب کارکنوں کی گرفتاری سے گریز کیا جائے۔
(2/3)
It was decided in the meeting that the miscreants will be arrested and peace and order will be ensured in the country. Arrest of women and poor workers would be avoided, it was decided.
Sanaullah said that a record of miscreants will be kept and their activities will be mentioned in their character certificate.
