Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has warned the government that the party will strongly react if the authorities tried to disrupt his Raiwind march.

Imran was in the city on Monday to check preparations and arrangements regarding the scheduled march and public meeting outside the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s residence at the end of this month. He also held a party meeting at Royal Palm Golf and Country Club, in which some party leaders responsible for the management of the Raiwind march participated.

Talking to journalists at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, he said that the PTI had a constitutional, democratic and legal right to hold a protest outside the house of the premier, saying that the public of England had also arranged a protest against their PM Dived Cameron on the same Panama leaks allegations.

He confirmed that the party would hold the Raiwind march in a peaceful manner, and the participants would abide by the existing laws of the country while exercising their right to protest. However, he warned that the rulers would be responsible for any reaction if the PTI workers were prevented from staging the protest rally. He said that he would personally approach the police station concerned if his workers were arrested.

Showing some apprehensions regarding investigation into the Panama leaks, Imran said that the matter of corruption in Pakistan would be buried if the Sharifs’ corruption exposed in the Panama leaks was brushed under the carpet.

Imran said it was strange that people involved in corruption of billions of rupees were roaming free, while the embezzlers of just thousands of rupees were put behind the bars for several years.

To a query, Imran once again invited all political parties to come and join the movement against PM Nawaz Sharif on September 30 at Adda Plot. He also brushed aside rumours regarding differences with Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri.

According to PTI sources, party leaders responsible for making preparations for the march – especially Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, Waleed Iqbal and Shafqat Mehmood – and other ticket holders of the National Assembly constituencies informed the chairman about their efforts to make the march a success.The sources said that Mehmoodur Rasheed told the party chairman that he had contacted the provincial transport secretary, who assured him that transporters would not create any trouble for the “marchers”. On the other hand, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan has assured the PTI leadership that his government would provide full security to them during their Raiwind march.