Screengrab of PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s video statement
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Monday called on his supporters nationwide to prepare for a march on the federal capital, adding that it will culminate in a sit-in that will continue until the announcement of general elections.
“I struggled for 14 years and then people started listening to me and I managed to fill the Minar-e-Pakistan,” he said in a video statement. “After coming into power, we gave health card, which is unprecedented in the history of Pakistan,” he said, noting that he had launched the PTI to ensure justice and respect for the green passport.
According to Khan, “corrupt powers” have united against him and toppled his government with the “support of foreign powers.” The PTI, since March 27, has maintained that the vote of no-confidence against Khan was part of a “foreign regime change.” The former prime minister has repeatedly alleged that the U.S. funded his government’s ouster and vowed to lead a movement for “true freedom” from foreign interference. However, Khan’s narrative has been severely dented in the past month, as both the spokesman of the armed forces and the National Security Committee have denied any evidence of a “foreign conspiracy.”
In his video statement, the PTI chairman urged all party workers to ready themselves for a new “dharna,” adding that they should gather outside the offices of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on April 26 to register their protest against the alleged “bias” of Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja against the PTI. “In just a few weeks I will give you a call to march towards Islamabad and we will hold sit-in in the federal capital till the announcement of general elections,” he added.
Ahead of the march—which is expected to commence sometime after Eidul Fitr—the PTI has started to prepare for the mass mobilization by reaching out to district officials. As part of this preparation, Khan would visit Peshawar, Lahore and Multan and meet party workers and political leaders to finalize arrangements for the march on Islamabad.