Pakistan's 'load the jails' rally is started by Imran Khan's party
Pakistan's Islamabad - A "Jail Bharo Tehreek" (fill the jails) movement has been started by the political party led by Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan to "defend the people's fundamental rights." The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party started its march on Wednesday from Lahore in eastern Pakistan, where local authorities have restricted public gatherings in several regions.
Khan explained the rationale behind the "peaceful, non-violent protest against the attack on our constitutionally granted fundamental rights" in a series of tweets. In his letter, he said that "we are dealing with bogus FIRs (first information reports filed by police) and NAB (non-bailable) cases, custody abuse, attacks on journalists and social media persons."
The lawmaker who was formerly a cricket player at the age of 70 added that the demonstration was "against the economic catastrophe" in Pakistan "created by a conspiracy of crooks who have money laundered billions in looted cash" and generated "spiraling inflation and mounting unemployment."
Khan stated the campaign's goal in a video message sent to PTI's Twitter account: to bring about "real freedom" in Pakistan. This campaign will lead you to a Pakistan that is liberated and content. And only when the government upholds your fundamental rights will this occur, the speaker continued.
After losing a vote of confidence in parliament, Khan was forced out of office in April of last year. Since then, he has organized large-scale demonstrations to call for the holding of the currently scheduled later this year. According to Pakistani PTI leader Ejaz Chaudhry, 200 party members will seek arrest in Lahore on Wednesday. He said, "We will assemble on Mall Road in Lahore, where we will turn ourselves in for arrest.
Another PTI lawmaker, Musarrat Jamshed Cheema, stated that the movement's goal is to combat the "intimidation techniques" of the government and that the party members are not worried about being imprisoned. "We are launching this movement to destroy the fear-based idols. We don't worry about going to jail. She told Al Jazeera, "We have thousands of volunteers willing to give up their individual liberties.
According to Cheema, party president Khan prevented the PTI's top leadership from turning themselves into the police despite their eagerness. She claimed that Imran Khan prevented some of the movement's top leaders from going to jail in order to preserve the movement's strategy and decision-making.
Amir Mir, the temporary information minister for Punjab province, which includes Lahore, claimed that Section 144 had been implemented in some parts of the city. A colonial-era statute, Section 144 forbids gatherings of more than four people in one location. "Because there isn't enough room in the Lahore jails, we've chosen to transfer them to the provincial jails in Mianwali and Dera Ghazi Khan. There is ample room for us, Mir replied.
The PTI leader, according to Mir, should set an example by leading the protest and inviting detention.
"Imran Khan needs to resolve the conflict between his calls for his employees to turn themselves in and his requests for bail so he may escape going to jail. Instead of asking his employees to do it, he should demonstrate his leadership and turn himself in for arrest," he stated. Cheema replied that Khan was the most significant individual in the group and that the group would stop at nothing to keep him safe.
"He is emotionally and physically prepared to spend time in jail. The party's top brass, however, agreed that he had to be kept safe at all costs. He is our top priority, and we all believe that sending him to prison would be a grave error," she stated.
Ayaz Amir, a political analyst, and former lawmaker thinks Khan's PTI has succeeded in applying pressure on the government with their protests. For the ruling alliance in Islamabad, he referred to the "fill the jails" protest movement as "yet another pain."
He told Al Jazeera that it is still unclear how this action will affect the government. Yet, the government is embarrassed if there are those who are prepared to risk their freedom to protect Khan.
If you read or visit the website for more articles click on the link:
https://atifshahzadawan.blogspot.com/
