Daily Times

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan has called for a march on Islamabad on 24 November.

Imran’s sister, Aleema Khan, stated that he has issued a final call, addressing every supporter to take to the streets across Pakistan. After meeting with her brother, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, at Adiala Jail, Aleema Khan spoke to the media outside the facility.

According to Aleema Khan, Imran Khan said, “On February 8, you brought about a revolution, and you took to the streets to exercise your constitutional right. You took power away from the elite and became powerful. But on February 9, the entire mandate was stolen.”

Aleema Khan further stated that Imran Khan expressed frustration over the alleged theft of votes, claiming they were handed over to a select few.

She also emphasised his concerns ‘about the erosion of judicial independence,’ with Imran Khan reportedly saying that the ‘freedom of the Supreme Court had been taken away.’

Speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail, Imran’s lawyer, Faisal Chaudhry, said the PTI founder has set up a committee to organise the Islamabad march, although he declined to reveal the members’ names, stating, “I won’t disclose the names, as they could be arrested” a local media outlet reported. According to Faisal Chaudhry, Imran Khan announced that Islamabad will be the focal point of the 24 November protest, with demonstrations to be held across Pakistan and worldwide.

He added that the protests will continue until their demands are met.

Faisal Chaudhry said Khan has called this the “final protest call,” with key demands, including the reversal of the 26th amendment, the restoration of PTI’s mandate, and the release of individuals detained without trial.

Faisal Chaudhry stated that the founder of PTI, Imran Khan, has said that the entire PTI leadership will participate in the protest, and the whole party knows what needs to be done. He added that the authority to end the protest will lie with a committee.

Imran’s lawyer also mentioned that, as per the PTI founder’s instructions, Ali Amin Gandapur will lead a caravan from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Earlier in the day, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, Advisor to the Chief Minister for Information and Public Relations, stated that Imran Khan’s expected final call to action will mark the decisive conclusion of the coalition government.

In a statement, he stated that protest preparations across the province are underway, with Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur overseeing arrangements.

According to Saif, only the final signal from PTI founder Imran Khan is awaited. Once announced, he claims a wave of protests will launch across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, delivering a blow to what he described as a “fake” government.

He also claimed the recent arrests of PTI officials reflect government panic as the opposition’s final call looms.

Saif promised the protests would lead to upholding constitutional order, repealing false charges, and enforcing accountability of those who, he alleged, stole the PTI’s mandate.

Reacting to Imran’s call for protest, PPP Vice-President Senator Sherry Rehman condemned the move, terming it “a call for chaos and provocation” rather than a protest. “We have also held peaceful protests but never told workers to kill or die,” Rehman said in a statement on Wednesday.

She asked for an explanation regarding the purpose behind the “so-called final and decisive protest.”

“Those who ordered workers to go out with a shroud on their heads should fear God,” she said, adding that despite PPP leaders being hanged and murdered, they never issued calls for violent protests.

Rehman concluded by saying that Imran wants chaos and is using workers as “political fuel for his release”.