PTI Chairman Imran Khan says the march will start from Lahore’s Liberty Chowk on Friday at 11am
Lahore
Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday announced to start long march against government from Lahore’s Liberty Chowk on Friday.
PTI chairman Imran Khan made the announcement while holding a press conference in Lahore. “I am inviting the entire nation. People belonging to all walks of life including labourers and others should participate in the long march for the real freedom of the country,” said Khan.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore, the former prime minister said the march will begin from the Liberty Chowk. “We will gather at 11 and then we will start marching to Islamabad.”
“Firstly, I want to say that I planned to do this long march before. We held a peaceful protest on May 25 but they subjected violence on us. And if I had not called it off then the next day there really would’ve been discord and blood in the country,” he said.
“Hence, to save my country and prevent chaos, I called it off.”
Arshad Shareef a victim of ‘target killing’, claims Imran
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday claimed that slain journalist Arshad Sharif was not killed in road accident, but was “targeted and murdered”.
“He (Sharif) knew his life was in danger. He knew he was repeatedly getting warnings. He didn’t step back. I told him [to back down but] he wasn’t scared and then lastly, this targeted killing. No matter what people say, I know this was targeted killing,” Imran said as he addressed Sharif’s shocking murder at his speech at a lawyers’ convention in Peshawar.
Sharif on Sunday night died in Kenya reportedly after being shot, his wife Javeria Siddique had confirmed early on Monday morning. However, the Kenyan police said Sharif was shot dead by police in a case of “mistaken identity”.
In his Tuesday’s speech, Imran paid tribute to Sharif, calling him “a brave patriot who never compromised his conscience”. He also spoke about his immense respect and admiration for the journalist. “He never spared any mafia. He exposed these two families (Sharif and Zardari families) in every programme with proof but no one could scare or buy him … then he started getting threats from unknown numbers to ‘not say this or speak the truth’ when he started exposing this regime,” he said.
“Then I received information that they were about to kill him. They invaded his home and scared him in front of his family just so that he doesn’t speak the truth,” Imran claimed, adding that he had then advised Sharif to leave the country.
“He refused [to leave]. Then, I told him that I have information, the same way I had information about a plot to kill me.”
Imran said Sharif left the country but was being called back when his visa in the UAE was about to expire. “Not because he committed a crime but just so he doesn’t speak the truth. And they wanted to do the same with him what they did with Azam Swati, Shahbaz Gill and Jameel Farooqui,” Imran added.
