Azadi march updates: PM will have to step down, says Mazari

LAHORE / ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman’s year-long accusations against the government for rigging last year’s elections gained momentum this month, with Imran Khan calling for an ‘Azadi’ march on August 14 from Lahore to Islamabad. Political temperatures have risen drastically over the last few weeks, with the government urging the PTI to call off its protest rally and other political forces attempting to broker an understanding between the two. On its part, the government also implemented Article 245 — thereby calling in the Pakistan Army for its support in securing Islamabad, where as Section 144 was also declared in the capital. However, the PTI has remained adamant that the march will happen, and have said they will come up with a list of demands once the march reaches the capital. With the PTI’s campaign gaining momentum, one of Imran Khan’s demands thus far has been fresh elections. You can follow all our updates on the Azadi March here. August 10, 5:45pm PTI central information secretary Shireen Mazari said the government should immediately remove barriers from the Islamabad-Lahore motorway. Further, Mazari said that the party core committee has decided that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will have to step down as PM. Echoing PTI chairperson Imran Khan’s earlier statement, Mazari said if democracy is derailed during the ‘Azadi’ march, it will be the government’s doing and not theirs. Read the full story here. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. August 10, 10:25am Sources told Express News that PTI chief Imran Khan on Sunday refused to meet Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq, saying the time for talks has passed. The PML-N government had requested Siraj to bring Imran to the negotiating table and convince him to call off the Azadi March. Imran and Siraj were earlier supposed to meet on August 9 after the National Security Conference, but, the PTI chief delayed the meeting for reasons not known till Sunday. On Sunday, Imran said there was no point in meeting Siraj and that talks would only take place after the August 14 now.August 9, 11:30pm Following reports of acute shortage of fuel in Lahore and Islamabad, the Ministry of Petroleum said that it was moving additional fuel to three cities to meet “more than average” demand. According to a statement the government claimed that nearly 0 .6 million litres was supplied to Peshawar, one million litres to Islamabad and 1.5 million litres to Lahore 1.5 million litters PMG was supplied on Saturday evening. It added that consumption was “more than average.” Resupply operation to major cities is expected to continue throughout Saturday night and Sunday. PMG is continuously moved from Karachi in local refineries to up country to meet this panic demand, the statement added. Explaining the shortfall, the government said that difficulties were encountered when TL sent from Karachi were trucked at some places due to road blocks. However, supply was restored after opening of routes. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. August 9, 5:30pm Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan said on Saturday that if anything happens to him, his workers should not let Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif get away with it. Talking to the media, Imran said that threats will not keep him from marching to the federal capital on August 14. “No forces can stop the march on August 14, our supporters and the public will reach there.” His statements followed his refusal to enter dialogue with the government yet again on Saturday, the same day Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told a high-level conference, on a positive note, that Imran was willing to call off his long march if his demands were met. Read here for the full story. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. August 9, 5pm Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif disclosed during a high-level meeting that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) had agreed to call off its ‘Azadi’ long march if its demand for a recount of votes in 10 constituencies was met. The premier’s statement comes on the heels of several rounds of political meetings throughout the week between opposition groups and the government, as the PTI and Tahirul Qadri gear up for their anti-government long marches in the capital. “The PTI had said it would call off its long march if there is recounting of votes on 10 constituencies of the National Assembly,” Nawaz, while addressing participants of the National Security Conference. For the full story, read here. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. August 9, 12:40pm Pakistan Peoples Party’s leader Khursheed Shah and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq have drawn up a set of proposals to end months of friction between the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), insiders told The Express Tribune. Read here for the full story. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. August 9, 12:15pm Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafiq on Friday reiterated the government’s decision to amicably resolve contentious issues with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI). Addressing the media outside the Parliament House, he said it was imperative to avoid confrontation at a time when the armed forces are embroiled in amilitary operation in North Waziristan. The minister requested the PTI to postpone the Azadi March. “The situation is serious and country cannot afford confrontation. It would be better for Pakistan and democracy if we resolved our issues with PTI through dialogue,” he said. For the full story, read here. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. August 9, 11:35am Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Mian Mahmoodur Rashid and Shafqat Mehmood said on Friday the national security conference called by the prime minister was a media stunt. “Had the ruling party been serious about talks, it would not have ignored our demands for over a year,” they told the PTI Workers’ Convention in Iqbal Town. They said the PTI would not let Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif loot the national exchequer for another four years. “The more they stay in power the more backward Pakistan will end up being. ” Read here for the full story. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. August 9, 11:15am The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday directed the provincial government to release all motorcycles impounded by the police since Wednesday, after verification of their registration documents. Justice Mahmood Ahmad Bhatti passed the order on a petition by the PTI Lawyers’ Wing Vice President Jawad Mobeen. For the full story, read here. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. August 9, 11am The Punjab chapter of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has shifted its office from Faisal Town to Cantonment allegedly over closure of main roads leading to the office with containers and unannounced visitations by police officials to gather information on PTI office bearers, The Express Tribune has learnt. PTI Punjab Information Secretary Andleeb Abbas said policemen in plainclothes searched the house of PTI vice chairperson Shah Mehmood Qureshi and houses two relatives of PTI president Javed Hashmi in Multan on Friday. Read here for the full story. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. August 9, 10:30am Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanveer Hussain said on Friday (August 8) that the government would not use force against participants of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march. Addressing a ceremony at the Agriculture Development Bank, he said there was a democratic government in the country, and no one would be allowed to derail democracy. For the full story, read here. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. August 9, 10:10am All major public hospitals in the twin cities have been put on high alert to deal with any untoward situation during the PTI’s planned march to the capital. Talking to The Express Tribune, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University Vice-Chancellor Dr Javed Akram, who is also the head of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), said the hospital had been put on high alert since August 4 and the status will continue till the situation normalises. Read here for the full story. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. August 9, 10am Amid growing political tensions in the country, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will chair an unprecedented meeting on national security today (Saturday), which will be attended by the military leadership, the four chief ministers and heads of all parliamentary parties. The high-level meeting comes just days before Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is set to take out its ‘Azadi March’, which has already virtually dominated the political scene in the country. The federal government, however, has tried to de-link the meeting with the ongoing political crisis. Talking to The Express Tribune, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Irfan Siddiqui said the agenda of the meeting will revolve around Operation Zarb-e-Azb currently being carried out in the North Waziristan Agency (NWA). For the full story, read here. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. August 9, 9:30am Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak has been barred from attending the National Security Conference by the PTI chief, citing the illegal steps taken by government against the workers of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and PTI. “All these acts carried out by PML-N are against democratic norms, they are behaving like monarchs,” Imran told Express News. “We have asked K-P chief minister to not participate in the security conference, scheduled for Saturday, as the government has already started taking illegal and unconstitutional steps against peaceful protesters, which shows the dictatorial mindset of the rulers,” said Imran. Read here for the full story. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. August 9, 9:15am Imran said that the ruling PML-N would be to blame if the army seized control of the state. “If the army takes over the country, it would be due to PML-N’s undemocratic acts and not because of our march on August 14,” he told a news conference in Islamabad. Talking to reporters, the PTI chief dispelled impressions that it was engaged in backdoor negotiations with the government to call off its ‘freedom march’ to the capital. “All decisions will be made on D-Chowk on August 14,” he said. “It will be a defining moment for Pakistan’s history.” For the full story, read here. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. August 9, 9am In an apparent bid to block PTI’s scheduled freedom march in the federal capital, the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration on Friday (August 8) imposed a series of measures including a two-month ban on brandishing arms and outlawing pillion-riding and prohibiting the assembly of more than five people under Section 144. Read here for the full story.