Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Islamabad, In the backdrop of the anti-government protests led by Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri demanding resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) chief on Sunday said he will fight for freedom till his last breath.
Khan wrote on PTI’s official Twitter handle – “I will fight for freedom till i breath my last. Have already prayed to Almighty, either Azadi (Freedom) or Maut (Death).”
Further hitting out at Sharif, Khan added in an another tweet, “Nawaz Sharif, I know democracy more than you. You are a fascist”
“Why is Islamabad sealed again? They have sealed all entrance & exits and making it troublesome for people to come but Tigers won’t stop,” Khan tweeted.
Asking more and more people to join the protest march, Khan added, “I ask all workers, MNAs, MPAs, everyone to reach at Azadi Square as today will be decisive. Imran Khan.”
Further showing his disappointment over an arrest order issued by the cops which reportedly have asked to capture some injured protesters, Khan wrote, “Police is ordered to arrest the injured in PIMS Hospital. This is inhuman. Is this what you call democracy?”
“I ask Nation to fight for your rights. If you won’t they will keep ruling you like Kings & make your children as their slaves,” Imran Khan tweeted.
Thanking protester for their immense courage, Khan tweeted, “I Thank PTI & PAT workers for how bravely you’re fighting for your independence, faced brutal action of the police. You have won already.”
The clashes started after Imran Khan and Awami Tehrik chief Qadri yesterday ordered their hundreds of supporters to shift the protest venue in the front of the residence of Prime Minister Sharif to force him to quit.
Police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters outside the prime minister’s official residence and the adjacent parliament building.
Hundreds of protesters entered the lawn of parliament but they were pushed back at the main entrance of the building where army was deployed.
About 450 injured were brought to Polyclinic and Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, the two premier state-run hospitals, a government official said.
A police official said over 70 policemen and five Frontier Constabulary personnel were injured in clashes with protesters armed with sticks, catapults and stones.
Till now, at least eight protesters are reportedly killed in the clashes.
However, Defence Minister Khawja Asif rejected the claims by the opposition leaders, saying no one was killed in the clashes.
The country’s Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar said that the protesters were carrying clubs in their hands and were aiming to enter sensitive government buildings.
The protesters later retreated on the orders of the Pakistan Army personnel who were deployed in the area.
Police have arrested over 500 workers and shifted them to undisclosed locations.
The PTI leadership has announced a countrywide protest Sunday against the incident, while some other parties have supported the call.
Another opposition party, the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), demanded the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and also announced it would observe one-day mourning in Karachi.
Following the clashes, party workers of the PTI and PAT started protests and blocked main roads in other major cities, including Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad and Karachi. Thousands of supporters of the two parties started their two separate long marches from the eastern city of Lahore Aug 14 and reached Islamabad Aug 15.
The protesters later marched towards Red Zone Aug 19 and staged a sit-in in front of the Parliament House. Both parties have held rounds of talks with the government for their demands. The talks, however, remained deadlocked.
PTI chief Imran Khan, whose party has 34 seats in the lower house, alleged Sharif rigged in the 2013 general elections. He has been demanding a probe into the rigging by a panel of the country’s apex court followed by free and fair re-elections.
