Islamabad: As tensions persist and protests continue to choke major arteries of the Twin Cities and other highways, PTI chief Imran Khan on Tuesday directed party workers to stop the ongoing protests in various cities in view of the hardships faced by the people. Finish it.
However, no such decision has been taken so far regarding the protests in the vicinity of Islamabad.
PTI leaders have also been briefed on the party leader’s decision to call off the ongoing protests – which began across the country after last week’s assassination attempt – to clear key roads and avenues. I.
According to sources, Imran Khan was presented with a report on the public response to the closure of major highways, in which it was said that educational institutions in the twin cities were also closed due to PTI protests in Rawalpindi.
Besides, the ambulance service was also affected due to the PTI protests, sources said, adding that the disruption to public life was creating a ‘bad impression’ of the PTI in Punjab. The party is at the helm of affairs.
Supporters Blocked Roads in Fresh Protests.
Supporters of the former prime minister blocked roads near the capital on Tuesday, snarling traffic and forcing schools to close, as they protested an assassination attempt on their leader at a recent anti-government rally.
Imran, who has been pushing for a general election since he was ousted as prime minister after losing a vote of confidence in parliament in April, was shot at a rally last Thursday. He is recovering from leg injuries. “People are finding it very difficult to go to work,” said Yawar Ali, a police official. “Families are stuck in traffic for hours. We’ve even had reports that protesters have blocked ambulances.”
However, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has rejected their call for new elections and the impasse has fueled instability in the nuclear-armed nation of 220 million people. Khan’s supporters started their protest on major roads around Islamabad late on Monday.
They have blocked Islamabad’s international airport and the highway connecting the capital to Lahore and Peshawar.
Television footage showed Imran’s supporters burning tires as they set up protest camps on the streets. The government ordered all public and private schools to close for the day, according to an order seen by Reuters. 70-year-old Imran started a long march protest rally from Lahore to the capital on October 28.
He was waving to the crowd from a container mounted on a truck in Wazirabad city of Punjab province last Thursday when a man fired several shots at him. Khan was among the 10 injured. A party worker was killed. The police have arrested the suspected attacker.
The PTI announced late on Monday that the march would resume on Thursday from the spot where Khan was attacked, and that he would virtually lead it. The political tension comes as Pakistan is reeling from an economic downturn caused by recent floods that have caused an economic loss of $30 billion, according to government estimates.
