ISLAMABAD - Though Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is keeping cards close to its chest regarding how much its protest march on August 14 against alleged rigging in elections would prolong; yet the party has given a go-ahead signal to its leaders to start a mass mobilization campaign to bring more people for the Azadi march in the federal capital.
The party leadership is still discussing the exact venue of the protest march in Islamabad after the government announced Independence Day celebrations on the same day and at the same venue (D-Chowk) where the party was intending to hold the rally, a party leader said.
PTI is also keeping cards close to its chest regarding their stay in the capital during Azadi March as a protest demanding audit of election results of the general elections 2013. First the demand was for the verification of election results of four NA constituencies and recently chairman PTI Imran Khan made a fresh demand asking for the audit of entire election results.
Whether the protest will prolong or not is still to be decides but the PTI would make it sure that it would not be a rally that will end after the main speech of PTI chief Imran Khan, the PTI leader said.
He also said that this would also depend on the government how much time it will take to accept the PTI demands.
About the PTI’s plan to invite other political parties to join the Azadi March, the leader said, “We want every political party to join the protest who wants transparent elections in future.” But the chances are rare that the main opposition party, PPP, will participate the long march that would start from Lahore, he added.
An insider said that a view within the senior party leadership was that Azadi March would be asked to disperse the same day to keep intact the pressure on the government for the verification of election results. He said that the party was also focused to bring electoral reforms through the parliamentary committee on electoral reforms at earliest and this was its first priority.
At the same time, Imran in the last party meeting had given a go-ahead signal to the senior party leadership to start mass mobilization campaign to bring more people for the Azadi March across the country, Muhammad Rizwan from the Central Media Cell of PTI Thursday informed The Nation. However, the mass mobilization campaign will focus on Punjab followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the party has little support in interior Sindh and Balochistan.
Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, President PTI, has been asked to start the campaign in Central Punjab, Vice-chairman PTI Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi will lead the campaign for south Punjab while PTI MNA Ghulam Sarwar Khan and Malik Sohail Kamrial from Attock have been assigned to mobilize the people in north Punjab. “All the provincial presidents of the party have been asked to hold meetings and rallies before August 14 to mobilize the people to participate in the long march,” Rizwan said.
According to Rizwan, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi has started his extensive visit of south Punjab from Thursday (July 17) and during his visit, he will meet party lawmakers, ticket holders, local leadership and workers.
Javed Hashmi will also arrange similar kind of schedule for the different districts of central Punjab.