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Imran, Bushra urge party workers to join protest march on Nov 24. No illegal protest or rally allowed in capital, rules Islamabad High Court. Interior minister rules out talks with PTI founder. Both govt, PTI not optimistic about outcome of talks.
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan Thursday claimed that he had received an offer via top party leaders to postpone his protest march in Islamabad scheduled for November 24.
While talking to reporters in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, the PTI founder said he was told that “everything will be alright” if he accepted the offer. “[I] received an offer via Barrister Gohar and [KP CM] Gandapur to postpone the protest and everything will be alright,” Imran said, adding that he demanded the release of under-trial party leaders, including himself, to “gauge the seriousness of the negotiations”.
Imran also noted that his demand could be met immediately, but no action was taken. “Talks are an ongoing process but it confirmed that they were not serious,” he said, adding that they only want to postpone the protest.
He further said that the incumbent government had a golden opportunity to release him a day earlier following the approval of bail by the Islamabad High Court (IHC). He added that the government wanted to prolong the matter by implicating him. The PTI founder also castigated the government for lodging cases against him, saying that the country has been turned into a banana republic. Imran called on the supporters, including lawyers, judges, labourers and civil society, to take to the streets on November 24, vowing that the protest would be held 100%.
“No relief would be possible had the 26th Constitutional Amendment fully implemented,” he said referring to the judicial reforms introduced via recently enacted legislation. Imran said that they have no option but to protest like a living nation.
Responding to a question, the former prime minister said, “It has become clear that the one with real power did this all,” adding that this whole episode is aimed at conveying the message that they were free to do anything and are above the law.
In her first video message, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi on Thursday urged party workers to join protest march on November 24 in Islamabad.
Meanwhile, she noted that PTI founder has sent a message that everyone should join the November 24 protest. “The date will not be changed under any condition.” The former first lady said the protest date cannot be changed unless the PTI founder made an announcement. “Our protest will be in line with law and Constitution,” she said, noting that no one can be barred from staging a “peaceful protest” as per the law.
Also, the Islamabad High Court ruled on Thursday that no protest or rally in violation of a recent law regulating public gatherings in the capital would be allowed over the weekend amid the Belarusian president’s visit.
Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq presided over the hearing for a petition by an Islamabad local that requested that the protest call be declared illegal and the respondents — federal government, Islamabad chief commissioner, Islamabad district magistrate and the Islamabad police — be directed to restrain the PTI from holding the protest and to maintain peace in the federal capital.
Reportedly, the court order said that the recently enacted Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, 2024, outlined that if anyone wished to hold an assembly in Islamabad, they must submit an application in writing to the district magistrate not later than seven days of the intended event’s date.
The referred application is to be processed and an appropriate order is to be given regarding permission for the assembly, the order added. However, it said that the court was informed that no such application was made till now.
“This court was also informed that the president of Belarus with his delegation of more than 60 persons is arriving on Nov 24 and their protection and freedom of movement is of utmost importance and directly involves relationship with another country, hence the larger public interest is involved.”
The order said that the court was also informed that though there was some communication with the PTI leadership, “no formal engagement as such has been made”.
Both the federal government and the opposition PTI on Thursday appeared doubtful about the positive outcome of any negotiations aimed at defusing the ongoing political crisis that emerged following the November 24 protest call of jailed politician Imran Khan.
While Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi ruled out the possibility of any talks under the shadow of threats of a protest demonstration, PTI chief Imran Khan blamed that the powers-that-be were not serious in talks, rather they wanted to drag on the issue by engaging them.
The minister said the government was ready for talks but the same could not be linked with the November 24 protest in Islamabad. “This cannot happen if you hurl threats and talk about holding negotiations at the same time,” he said while talking to reporters outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
On Tuesday, incarcerated former prime minister Khan had given the go ahead to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur and PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan to talk to the establishment on their three demands if the government wanted from him to withdraw his “final” protest call.
Earlier this month, he had asked his followers to converge in Islamabad on November 24 to hold a protest demonstration to press the Shehbaz Sharif administration to meet their demands. These include revocation of the 26th Amendment, return of alleged stolen mandate of February 8 election and release of all political prisoners.
PTI founder Khan on Thursday in his media interaction at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail said it was crystal-clear now that the government was not sincere in holding talks. “I had received a message from powerful quarters, through Gandapur and Gohar, to postpone the protest for another 10 days as a prerequisite to start talks,” he said.
In return, Khan said, he demanded release of all political prisoners as a confidence building measure, which was an implementable demand. “This demand could be met immediately but they did not do it,” he said, noting they don’t want to move towards serious talks.
The PTI chief said the police arrested him in another “frivolous” case following the high court granted him bail in the Toshakhana case, the other day, meaning people at the helm of affairs did not want to get the issue resolved.
Emphasizing that holding a peaceful protest is their constitutional right, he said the protest and talks would continue simultaneously. “We are political people and want to move ahead through talks,” he said, underling that they would talk only on their three demands, but the government should release their political prisoners first.
Meanwhile, In view of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) planned protest on November 24, the Punjab government has called in Rangers to maintain law and order in three districts of the province.
According to the Punjab Home Department, Rangers have been deployed in Rawalpindi, Jhelum, and Attock. A formal request for their deployment has been sent to the federal Ministry of Interior.
Officials confirmed that two wings of Rangers will be stationed in Rawalpindi and Attock indefinitely, starting November 22. Meanwhile, in Jhelum, Rangers will be on duty from November 22 to November 27.
The decision to deploy Rangers was made on the recommendations of the district administrations to ensure security during the protests.