LAHORE: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has said that he decided to start long march on Friday, ARY News reported on Tuesday.
Imran Khan, while addressing a press conference in Lahore today, said that he has decided to start the anti-government long march on Friday at 11:00 am. “The long march will be started from Liberty Chowk of Lahore,” he announced.
“This long march is not for doing politics as we are fighting for the future of the country. We will head towards Islamabad with the nation from GT Road.”
READ: PTI’S EXPECTED LONG MARCH: SINDH POLICE, FC CONTINGENTS REACH ISLAMABAD
Khan said, “It is beyond politics as we are fighting for real independence. The jihad for real independence will decide our fate. We have to decide now whether we have to get rid of these thieves or be their slaves.”
The PTI chief clarified that there was no timeframe for the conclusion of the upcoming long march. “I am claiming now that it will be the largest-ever march of history.”
“I want to appeal to the nation to choose a path in this decisive time. The nation will have to decide whether we will accept the rulership of the thieves or make the country a sovereign state,” said Imran Khan.
“The thieves imposed on us and their handlers are treating the nationals as chattel. They think that the nation will stay silent after whatever they do to them.”
Imran Khan said that the PTI government had performed tremendously in all sectors. He said that the then opposition had organised three long marches – two by Maulana Fazlur Rehman and one by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari – during the PTI government and was never barred from holding protests.
He said that PTI marchers had been brutally tortured for holding a peaceful protest on May 25. He also criticised the government for the registration of ’24 FIRs including cases under terrorism charges”.
Imran Khan complained about the foul play by then opposition to topple the PTI government through horse-trading and threatening journalists and other negative tactics. He said that the current rulers amended the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law to dissolve their corruption cases.
Regarding Arshad Sharif, Imran Khan said that the martyrdom of the slain journalist has shocked the journalist fraternity. He added that Arshad Sharif has never compromised on his conscience. “He was threatened and forced to step back from his stance.”
He said that the transmissions of the TV channels presenting PTI’s stance were blocked and the journalists were abducted and threatened to refrain from presenting PTI’s stance on their YouTube channels.
During his press conference, journalists condemned Maryam Nawaz’s tweet regarding Arshad Sharif.
Imran Khan said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government decided to build a monument of Arshad Sharif Shaheed. He added that he will also ask the Punjab government to build Arshad Sharif’s monument.
To a question, Khan said that political parties will not close doors for dialogues. “We are always ready for holding talks. However, I am sure that they will not hold elections. In the previous elections, they failed to win the polls despite vote-rigging.”
“They are trying to stop me from taking part in the elections through illegal moves. They tried to disqualify me in foreign funding and now in Toshakhana case.”
He said that he will lead the long march on Friday from Lahore’s Liberty Chowk at 11:00 am.
He said that the PTI long march will be a peaceful protest, however, he expressed suspicions that the government will try to sabotage the peaceful demonstration. “We will not enter Red Zone in Islamabad and we will follow the law.”
 chairman Imran Khan has said that he decided to start long march from Lahore on Friday.){kind=link}