By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan asked his supporters to march on Islamabad for a ‘battle for real freedom’ sit-in on May 25 to press the coalition government to call an early election or face popular rage in a grim escalation of a three-month long political crisis.
Khan issued a stark ultimatum to the coalition government of Shehbaz Sharif to give a definite date for elections and dissolve the parliament of the south Asian country, already facing multiple crisis including economic meltdown.
Khan’s call came after a marathon session of leaders from his Tahrik-e-Insaf party in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
“On the 25th (of May)] I will meet you in Islamabad on the Srinagar Highway,” Imran said at a televised presser. “You have to reach there at 3pm. I invite all the women because I’ve seen your anger. I had never seen that before.”
Khan describes the march as a move to protect the country’s sovereignty.
A cricket star turned politician, Khan claimed that the United States was behind his downfall, an assertion that Washington denies. He had lately fallen out with the country’s powerful military over differences on the appointment of country’s top intelligence chief.
Khan in his usual defiant tone accused the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif government of being ‘corrupt and imported ‘, as a part of the US led conspiracy to topple him just because he went ahead to visit Russia against a warning from Washington.
Khan, who served as prime minister for over three and half years, was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament by an alliance of all major political parties. Since his ouster, he’s been addressing rallies in several cities to mobilize public for a grand show of strength in the capital on coming Wednesday.
“I want people from all (walks of life) to come because this is Jihad, and not politics. I’ve decided and told all my team that we have to be ready to sacrifice our lives.”
He also told the military to stick to its stated stance of being “neutral”. “I also say to my army that you said you are neutral so now remain neutral.”
Insiders in the government say a possibility of military deployment to quell the protests has hung over capital Islamabad.
“Under Article 245 of the Constitution, the military can be called to guard important state properties, including the Parliament, the Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s house, among others in the city,” an official said.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah warned Khan’s party PTI of action “if its protesters march towards Islamabad with the intent to cause anarchy”, however “a final decision will be taken jointly with the help of the coalition partners”.
“I don’t know what decision the leaders of the coalition government will take, but if they decide [to go for] action, then we will not allow protesters to even come out of their homes,” Sanaullah said.
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