LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will display its political power in the Punjab capital today in shape of a rally from Shahdara to Punjab Assembly titled Ehtesab march, along with allies, including Chaudhrys of Pakistan Muslim League-Q Dr Tahirul Qadri of Pakistan Awami Tehreek and Pakistan Peoples Party, while Jamaat-e-Islami has also supported the PTI rally.
The slogan of Ehtesab march would be the demand of holding the ruling PML-N accountable for their alleged assets revealed in Panama Leaks, in the city believed to be the stronghold of the PML-N.
Head of PTI rally’s organising committee, Ijaz Chaudhry told reporters on Friday that all preparations had been completed to launch a massive show of force against the rulers. He claimed that Pakistan Muslim League-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Punjab president Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, JI ameer Sirajul Haq, PPP secretary general Latif Khosa, Manzoor Wattoo and Pakistan Awami Tehreek Punjab president Basharat Jaspal would participate in the rally besides other senior political leaders of Opposition parties.
The large gathering of Opposition leaders would speak to the rally from the container of Imran Khan on Saturday night, he said, adding that the show would be matching historic public meeting of Imran Khan in 2011. Earlier, Ijaz Chaudhry and other senior party leaders, including Chaudhry Sarwar and Aleem Khan reviewed the final arrangements of Lahore rally in separate party meetings. PTI secretary general Jahangir Tareen while talking to media on Thursday, alleged that government was blocking the route of the rally and harassing the transporters to prevent them from providing vehicles to the intending participants of PTI rally.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf media spokespersons, Naeemul Haq and Samsam Bokhari, while addressing a press conference at chairman secretariat said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf rally would be peaceful, reminding that Imran Khan’s followers earlier organised peaceful marches in Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Jhelum to create awareness among the masses against rulers' corruption. They said Imran Khan would lead the rally and address the participants at Shahdara, Bhatti Gate, Nasser Bagh, High Court Chowk and Chairing Cross where the march would turn into a public meeting. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf workers had already set up welcome camps along the route of the march, and all sister organisations of the party were busy in mustering maximum support of the masses to the Ehtesab march.
Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr. Tahirul Qadri said the rally and sit-in at Rawalpindi would prove to be a referendum against rulers and bring justice to the families of the Model Town victims.
Addressing the Central Core Committee meeting and later talking to Awami Muslim League leader Sheikh Rashid on phone on Friday, he said lawyers would also participate in the rally and protest against the Quetta killings. He said the way all the forces plundering public wealth from the country had come together, all the forces protecting national interests and solidarity must also come into one fold and wage a struggle against the corrupt rule.
—Originally published in The News