Announcing a nationwide protest against the ‘illegal’ detention of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shireen Mazari, who was arrested from her house earlier today (Saturday), the party’s General Secretary Asad Umar said that the government would not be able to contain their workers’ reaction if Imran Khan was arrested.
Mazari has been arrested for her alleged involvement in land encroachment case of property in District Rajanpur, filed in 1972. Her daughter Imaan Mazari tweeted that her mother was beaten by male police officers who then ‘took her away’.
PTI Chairperson Imran Khan condemned the act in a tweet and said that the ‘imported’ government is miscalculated if it thinks it can coerce Shireen Mazari through this display of ‘fascism’.
Our movement is completely peaceful but this fascist imported govt wants to push the country towards chaos. As if sending the economy into tailspin wasn't enough,they now want anarchy to avoid elections.
Today we will protest and tmrw after CC meeting I’ll announce our Long March— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) May 21, 2022
He further claimed that the PTI movement is a peaceful one, but the government is trying to push it towards chaos, adding, “As if sending the economy into tailspin wasn’t enough, they now want anarchy to avoid elections.”
Khan said that today PTI will protest the detention of Mazari, and tomorrow he will announce the dates for his long march to Islamabad.
Asad Umar also shared the plans for the nationwide protest on his Twitter.
شیرین مزاری کو غیر قانونی طور پر حراست میں لینے پر پارٹی کے کارکنان تمام پاکستان میں آج شام احتجاج کریں گے.#امپورٹڈ_حکومت_نامنظور
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) May 21, 2022
Attempts to arrest Imran Khan?
Earlier today, while speaking to journalists in Islamabad, Asad Umar claimed that a top administration officer called him on Friday, at around 5 PM, and warned him about a ‘very serious threat’ to Imran’s life in Multan.
Umar said he called Imran, who was scheduled to address a rally in Multan just a few hours later, and made arrangements for bulletproof vehicles.
“The very next morning at 3 AM, in the darkness of the night, a police team arrived at Imran’s Bani Gala residence for a survey. Did they only find the time to survey the area at 3 AM at night, ten days after issuing a threat assessment letter? Who are they trying to fool? They already knew Imran was not there,” he said.
He further said that if they came to send a message to Imran in an attempt to scare him, they were mistaken. “Not even the youth present here, let alone Imran Khan would be scared of them.”
Asad stressed that the more the government tried to exert brute force against the PTI, the stronger their response would be.
On Friday night, unconfirmed reports from Islamabad indicated that Imran Khan may be arrested, as there was unnecessary movement of law enforcement around Bani Gala.
