Daily Times

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan announced Saturday that the entire nation has decided to stand with the constitution and the chief justice.

“It is the entire nation’s decision to stand with the Constitution and [against] the way this mafia is putting pressure on and doing propaganda against the chief justice and [other] judges,” Khan said while addressing workers at a rally at Lahore’s Lakshmi Chowk, held to support the Constitution, Supreme Court, and the chief justice of Pakistan.

The PTI held rallies in four cities – Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, and Peshawar.

Announcing the plan for daily rallies, the PTI chairman said starting next week, his party would hold rallies every day till May 14. He said he would come out and prepare the public to protest if elections were not held. “When a country’s Constitution is violated, it means the justice system and the rule of law have ended. Most of all, it means that the nation has lost its freedom and become slaves. We will not rest till elections are held and Pakistan is free,” he stressed.

Imran Khan criticised the state of the country, saying that inflation was three times higher than the time the PTI was removed from power and people’s purchasing power was diminished. He said Pakistan would rise up and the PTI would establish the rule of law and make a great country, but, elections were needed before that.

Imran said the time had come for the nation to venture forth, saying that he was taking to the streets too despite the threat to his life. The PTI chief said a senior military officer would be responsible if anything happened to him.

The former premier thanked the people for coming out and attending the rally in support of the Supreme Court, Constitution and chief justice.

Referring to Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s recent visit to India to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Khan said the way the former was treated by his Indian counterpart was a “matter of shame for all of us”. Khan also addressed remarks made by Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who called Bilawal “a promoter, justifier, and spokesperson of a terrorism industry which is the mainstay of Pakistan”. “Do you (Jaishankar) have no manners or etiquette? A guest comes to your country … inviting him and insulting him reflects on your country,” Khan said.

“Pakistan is being humiliated in the world. How the Indian foreign minister’s behaviour was when Bilawal went to India is a basis for shame for all of us. We ask the question, Bilawal you are touring the entire world but first tell that before going do you ask anyone that you’re spending the country’s money on a trip so what will be the benefit or loss from it?”

Imran questioned what benefit was gained from the trip to India with the kind of language that the Indian foreign minister used.

Turning to the prime minister, Imran asked him what he was doing in the UK. “Do you have the time for that? Don’t you know that two days back six soldiers were martyred and seven teachers in Parachinar were shot? Inflation is at historic [levels]. How could you leave the country and go there (UK) in such conditions?”