Pakanis need to stand up for their rights, says Imran Khan on Day 6 of protest march

Ousted prime miner Imran Khan on Wednesday asked the people of Pakan to “stand up for their rights”, as he targeted his political opponents, saying the coalition government came to power through a “deal” to get their corruption cases quashed.
Addressing his followers in Gujranwala in Punjab province on the start of the 6th day of his protest march which he launched from Lahore on October 28, Khan said former prime miner Nawaz Sharif was getting ready to return while his younger brother and the incumbent premier Shehbaz Sharif got his cases settled under a “deal”.
The Pakan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief also alleged that ex-president Asif Ali Zardari also had his corruption cases settled.
“What I see is that only small crooks will be caught and the rich will go scot-free,” the 70-year-old leader said, adding that criminals have become leaders.
He lamented that Pakan’s biggest issue is that corrupt people get into leadership without any accountability.
Talking about a case against Shehbaz, Khan alleged that the incumbent premier was close to getting convicted in the Rs 16 billion corruption cases but “he was given a deal and was saved and made prime miner”.
He also questioned the deaths of officers investigating corruption cases against Shehbaz and said “all officers died one after another”.
“All officers investigating Shehbaz’s corruption cases died one after another. No one asked how they died all of a sudden,” he said.
The former premier urged people to “stand up for their rights”, failing which they would “never get justice”.

“I must say here that justice is given out only in a human society. You all have to support me. I tell you everyone that it’s better to die than becoming slaves,” he added.
Khan also said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the anti-corruption body, was not in his control when he was the prime miner. “We could not do anything. NAB was not in my hands. Those who were controlling NAB saved these crooks.” As the sixth day of the long march ended, Khan warned that his protest, which he calls a movement for ‘haqeeqi azadi’ (real freedom), will continue for the next 10 months.
“Nobody should think our movement will end in Islamabad. It will continue for the next 10 months until we don’t have elections,” he said addressing the participants at Ghakhar Mandi, a small town on GT Road near Gujranwala.
He reiterated not to accept the present government and would rather die than “bow down before these thieves”.
Khan said that he was witnessing huge crowds and can safely bet that rallies in Rawalpindi and Islamabad would break all records.

He also said that a revolution was underway and it was up to the government if it would channelize it through elections.
He also didn’t spare the establishment, saying that if the army was neutral as per its claims then what was stopping them from holding free elections.
“In the press conference, it was said that we (army) are neutral and apolitical. My question is that if you have decided to be neutral then what is stopping you from fair and free elections? Let the nation decide,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Islamabad police in response to Khan’s claim that security personnel would join his march in the national capital rejected propaganda campaigns some “political leaders” against officers of the capital’s security force.
“ICT Police and other civil armed forces are the guarantors of peace in the federal capital…Such propaganda campaigns and rumours will strengthen the determination and morale of the officials,” it tweeted.
It also said that all the officers and jawans have a clear understanding of their duties and they are working according to the law.
Khan, who was ousted from power in April after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, has talked about a ‘threat letter’ from the US and claimed that it was part of a foreign conspiracy to remove him as he was not acceptable for following an independent foreign policy. The US has bluntly rejected the allegations.
At the start of the march, his close confidante Faisal Javed adminered oath to the participants to follow the Constitution and support Khan in his “struggle”.
Meanwhile, after the protest march’s slow movement towards Islamabad came under criticism, party leader Fawad Chaudhry hit back, saying it would proceed at its own pace. “We will also keep changing our plan to reach Islamabad to baffle the government,” he said.
The party’s long march, now on the road for six days, was to reach Islamabad in seven days according to the initial plan.

The march was scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on November 4, but PTI leader Asad Umar said that the protest convoy would reach the capital on November 11.
The Punjab provincial home department has issued a high alert for Rawalpindi ahead of the arrival of Khan’s long march.
The provincial home department has asked the drict adminration, police, law enforcement agencies and hospitals to remain on high alert and take precautionary measures ahead of the protest march.
Interior Miner Rana Sanaullah while addressing a news conference in the federal capital on Tuesday, had asked the PTI chief to shun politics of “agitation” and sit down with the political parties to resolve disputes through dialogue “for the sake of Pakan”.
Khan has been demanding early elections and he is leading the long march towards Islamabad to force his demands. The term of the current National Assembly will end in August 2023 and fresh elections should be held within 60 days.