The Pak establishment have banned political or any form of other gatherings in Pakistan’s Punjab province and Islamabad, amid protest calls by opposition parties over a host of issues.
This decision came after Tehreek Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP), an opposition alliance led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), called for country-wide protests on Friday to demand the release of political prisoners, including former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The decision was made during a TTAP meeting on Wednesday, as the PTI continued its hunger strike camps in Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar. Opposition leaders emphasized that the protests would focus on three main demands: ending unprecedented inflation, establishing peace, and releasing Imran Khan and other political detainees.
Former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser accused the current government of operating on a “fake mandate” and stressed the importance of addressing the ongoing economic and political crises. Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai declared Imran Khan the “most popular” leader in Pakistan and urged public participation in the demonstrations.
Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Chairman Allama Raja Nasir Abbas warned against invoking Article 6 of the Constitution (high treason) against Imran Khan, stating it would be “an affront to the entire nation”. He claimed that Khan has the support of 99% of Pakistanis.
PTI Friday protest
The TTAP’s protest call coincides with Jamaat-e-Islami’s planned sit-in in Islamabad on the same day against inflation and power tariff hikes. TTAP leaders have invited all opposition parties to join their protest.
Reportedly, the party has organized protests in constituencies led by its parliamentarians, with Shoaib Shaheen leading the Islamabad demonstration. The party’s hunger strike camps continued for a second day, with opposition leaders Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Asad Qaiser, Mahmood Achakzai, and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas criticizing the government’s performance.
Omar Ayub, the opposition leader in the National Assembly, asserted that the PTI cannot be banned and demanded the immediate release of Imran Khan. Asad Qaiser echoed this sentiment, stating that “the era of banning political parties is over.”
Raja Abbas vowed to continue the struggle for constitutional supremacy, while Achakzai highlighted Pakistan’s current crisis as the worst in its history. Shibli Faraz claimed that the constitution is currently suspended, freedom of expression suppressed, and civil liberties curtailed.
The PTI also organized symbolic hunger strike camps outside the Punjab Assembly in Lahore and at Kabutar Chowk on Ring Road in Peshawar. In Lahore, Azam Khan Swati criticized the cases against Imran Khan, while in Peshawar, PTI Additional General Secretary Irfan Saleem stated that Khan was being punished for fighting for the supremacy of law and the Constitution.