PTI 'commences' anti-govt movement as Gandapur-led convoy reaches Lahore

• KP CM seeks concrete strategy for PTI's August 5 movement.
• "We will take practical steps after consultation to move forward."
• Gandapur says will thank Punjab govt if it allows PTI protest.

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday launched its anti-government campaign, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur arriving in Lahore to kick off the movement, saying that political drives starting from the city have historically resonated nationwide.

"We will take practical steps after consultation to move forward," said Gandapur while addressing a key consultative session held at a farmhouse in Lahore's Raiwind.

The KP chief minister said: "We must think about how to take it to its peak by August 5."

His statement came after incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan ordered his party that the anti-government protest should "hit peak" on August 5 — the day when he completes two years in jail.

Responding to Maulana Fazlur Rehman's criticism of the PTI-led government in KP, CM Gandapur alleged that only one MNA and two MPAs from the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) were elected on merit, while the rest won due to alleged manipulation of Form 47.

He went on to say that the JUI-F chief Fazl himself holds a "fake mandate" and questioned his authority to comment on PTI affairs.

Gandapur stated that the public had rejected Maulana Fazl and advised the JUI-F supremo to focus on bringing a change within his own party rather than in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Earlier today, Maulana Fazl said that if there is to be a change in KP, it should emerge from within PTI.

He added that JUI-F would make decisions regarding the province only after party consultation, noting that the province cannot afford further political instability.

Following the Supreme Court’s June 27 verdict — which ruled that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is ineligible for reserved seats — the opposition alliance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is now just 20 members short of forming a simple majority in the provincial assembly.

On a separate note, Gandapur said he would appreciate the Punjab government only when he is allowed to hold a public gathering in Lahore by his constitutional rights.

The firebrand politician also criticised the suspension of the PTI's Punjab Assembly members, terming it "illegal". Addressing a media interaction, Gandapur warned that if such actions continued, he could consider removing [the opposition's] committee chairmen in his province.

The former ruling party has ramped up its efforts to launch a nationwide anti-government campaign following the orders of the jailed patron-in-chief.

A few days ago, ex-PM Khan's sister Aleema Khan announced that the PTI founder would lead the protest from jail.

"Our family knows about the protest plan," said Aleema; however, she remained tight-lipped about the details of the upcoming demonstration. She added that they would inform the media regarding the plan at an appropriate time.

She also launched a criticism against the party leadership, quoting Khan as saying that he was free in prison while they are imprisoned outside.

The protest route — whether it starts from Peshawar and proceeds to Lahore — will be decided and disclosed by the party, she added.

She also said that Khan's entire family would participate in the upcoming protest. Khan had conveyed that those unable to carry the burden of the political movement should step aside, she added.

According to the PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram, the Imran Khan-led party will hold demonstrations in provinces and districts in the first phase.

To another query about CM Gandapur's statement that he would carry weapons to the protest, Akram said Gandapur was talking about self-defence. “What the chief minister meant was that everybody has the right to self-defence," he added.

The PTI spokesperson also said the PTI founder had directed Gandapur to lead the protest.