Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Monday warned that if elections are not held within 90 days, his party will start Jail Bharo Tehreek.
Not announcing the election schedule is a clear violation of the constitution. It has been clearly stated that elections should be held in 90 days,” he said during a video message, as Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa await elections after the dissolution of assemblies last month.
“If the elections are not held within 90 days, we will start Jail Bharo movement,” Khan said.
Gearing up his workers for his party’s new campaign to put pressure on the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government at the Centre, the PTI chief urged them to align themselves with PTI district presidents. Register, to start the movement in cities across Pakistan.
“I want the volunteers to register themselves first and then I will announce the date on which we will start the jail filling movement. It will be in a few days so I want the volunteers to come forward.”
He added that through this campaign, his party would be able to achieve “True Azadi (True Azadi)” and true democracy.
چیئرمین تحریک انصاف عمران خان کا اہم ترین ویڈیو پیغام pic.twitter.com/V2JK3vUU8I
— PTI (@PTIofficial) February 6, 2023
In his address, Khan said that the economic crisis in Pakistan at present is unprecedented. He further said that the inflation and unemployment that the country is currently going through has never been seen by the common people.
The PTI chief said that “how dire the economic situation of the country is and because we have never resorted to disruption in our 26 years of politics, Jail Bharo movement is a peaceful way of protesting [against it]. The PTI chief said.
“It has been 25 days and no election date has been given. Article 6 will apply to those who postpone the election beyond the constitutional period.
Khan also highlighted that his party decided to dissolve both assemblies as the country was going through instability. The governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were dissolved under the constitution.
The ousted prime minister, who was ousted by a no-confidence vote last April, also criticized the federal government for “running away” from local elections in Islamabad.
جلد جیل بھرو تحریک کی تاریخ کا اعلان کرونگا۔ عمران خان#جیل_بھرو_تحریک
— PTI (@PTIofficial) February 6, 2023
pic.twitter.com/JrFPRtJzaI
The court ordered the elections to be held within 48 hours. It has been a month but the elections are not being held, the PTI chief lamented.
Informing his supporters and the nation of his decision to announce the Jail Bharo movement, the former prime minister said: “Nations are governed by law, while the constitution decides what is legal and what is illegal. The trust in the constitution and law is rising.
He added that ever since the “imported government” came to power, the constitution and the law are being flouted. “I told their handlers that they will not be able to handle the situation if the [PTI] government is brought down by conspiracy.”
Khan added that the situation is such that the police and the state do not even listen to court orders, and people are being “picked up” and “tortured”.
The PTI chief’s comment came in reference to the arrests and cases against his party members. Sedition cases have been registered against PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry and former National Assembly Member Shandana Gulzar while Senator Azam Swati and Shehbaz Gul have been booked for speaking against the army.
