Imran says ‘fill the jails’ movement will start from Wednesday

LAHORE     -    Taking another bold de­cision after the dissolu­tion of two provincial assemblies last month, Pakistan Tehreek-e-In­saf Chairman Imran Khan Friday announced to start Jail Bharo Teh­reek [court-arrest movement] from Feb­ruary 22 (Wednesday) to force the government to announce a date for general elections. 

“They are scaring us from jails. We are go­ing to fulfil their de­sire [to make arrests]. We will fill the jails and they [the incum­bent government] will be left with no space in jails [to keep the party workers]”, he said in a televised address to the PTI workers and sup­porters from his Zaman Park residence here. The PTI chairman said that the movement will start from Lahore from coming Wednesday and will spread to other big cities and the rest of the country after­wards. “I am announcing, God willing, my ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ from Wednesday. I am telling my entire party today to prepare for the movement,” he added. Imran Khan believed that Jail Bharo Tehreek would prove the last nail in the coffin of what he called the imported government imposed on the nation through ‘auction’ and not ‘election’. 

He said that the party lead­ers and activists would present themselves voluntarily for court arrest as part of protests against the ongoing state oppression and rising violation of rule of law.” he said. 

He also asked his supporters to break the idol of fear and vol­unteer themselves to offer ar­rests. He also thanked those party activists guarding his res­idence outside Zaman Park to save him from the anticipated arrest by the police. 

The PTI chief, however, left many questions about the ‘court- arrest’ movement unan­swered. He did not say a word about which party leaders would surrender themselves before the police to begin with. Whether Khan himself would lead from the front to court ar­rest? Would it be the second line party leadership to pres­ent themselves before the po­lice or the party workers, or both. There was no clarity about these questions in his speech. 

While asking his supporters to get over their fear of jails, the PTI chief drew parallels be­tween the existing political sit­uation and the one at the time of Karbala incident. Khan told them that the people of Koufa did not support Hazrat Imam Hussain for the fear of Yazid. “But now, generation after gen­eration of the Koufi people re­pent their elders’ cowardly act of not standing with Hazrat Imam Hussain at that time”. Im­ran Khan also mentioned the ruler of ancient Egypt, Pharaoh, who kept his people in a con­stant state of slavery by creating fear of his power in their minds. “Then came Hazrat Mousa (AS) who liberated them from the yokes of slavery”, he said. 

Imran Khan stated that gen­eral elections were the only an­swer to issues currently facing the country; however, he added that the government of thieves was committing constitutional violation by not announcing the election date despite the court orders. He said that the govern­ment used brutal force in an at­tempt to deter them from pro­testing for their rights. 

The PTI chairman said that they dissolved the assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakh­tunkhwa so that elections could be held within 90 days. “On the 91st day, the caretaker govern­ment will be illegal but hither­to neither the governors of both provinces nor the election com­mission have made any progress in conducting polls,” Khan main­tained. He said that the ECP had shown its helplessness in con­ducting elections, citing the lack of funds and security issues. He said the judiciary should imple­ment the Constitution on con­ducting elections as all institu­tions were bound to cooperate and uphold the rule of law.

The PTI chairman went on to say that the imported govern­ment imposed on the nation through auction was unable to govern and made ‘tough’ con­ditions, because this imported government did not have the mandate or ability to bring re­forms or implement any eco­nomic policy as it required en­suring rule of law. Imran Khan stated that only a government with public mandate could take tough decisions and could get the country out of the prevail­ing quagmire.

He said that the government was resorting to all delaying tactics to defer the elections and preventing other institutions from playing their role. He said that the PDM was running away from elections as it feared a hu­miliating defeat and would rath­er take unconstitutional steps instead of conducting polls.

“No disaster could be bigger than that when the judiciary failed to ensure the implemen­tation of the Constitution. There is no justice where the rule of law collapses,” he maintained. 

Imran Khan said that the gov­ernment was either attempt­ing to give a short time for cam­paigning so they can snatch the polls. He said this was evi­dent in the LG elections in Kara­chi when the PPP won the polls without having a vote bank.

The PTI chairman said that he was launching a campaign after the worst form of state oppres­sion against political leaders and journalists not even seen in dictatorial times. He said the trend started with Shahbaz Gill, Azam Swati, Fawad Chaudhry and Sheikh Rashid. “Never in history have such acts been committed against political op­ponents,” Khan lamented.