Nationwide protest movement planned: IK
RAWALPINDI: The incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman, Imran Khan on Saturday said his party will stage nationwide protest movement, vowing to lead the movement from behind the bars.
Senator Ali Zafar, quoting Khan after a meeting at Adiala Jail during the hearing of Toshakhana II case against Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, said the former prime minister said that the center of upcoming protest movement of PTI will not be the federal capital but it will be take place across the country.
'Khan said that he and his party have been pushed to the wall, leaving them with no choice but to take to the streets', Zafer said while quoting his party's jailed founding chairman.
He added that the PTI founder intends to lead the campaign personally from jail and will issue all related directives himself. He further said that he has been assigned the responsibility of drafting a complete protest strategy, which he plans to present at the next meeting with the party leader. The planning will be carried out in consultation with legal experts and the PTI leadership, he said.
According to Senator Zafar, the upcoming campaign will be highly organised, well-prepared, and unlike any protest movement previously seen in Pakistan. He said that the party is aware that there will be obstacles but claimed they have the means and experience to overcome them.
PTI nationwide protests: District administrations of twin citizens blocked multiple roads
Zafar said that within a few days, a detailed plan for the protest movement would be finalised, and responsibilities would be assigned accordingly. He added that the founder believes the courts and executive authorities have failed to provide any relief, leaving the party with no remaining options.
Earlier, the special court hearing Toshakhana II case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, adjourned proceedings without proceedings as Khan's wife refused to appeared before the court.
Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand, presiding over the case at Adiala Jail, adjourned the hearing after it was informed that Bushra Bibi declined to attend the proceedings, citing that she was denied a scheduled meeting with her husband on Tuesday.
Despite the court issuing clear instructions to jail officials to bring her to the courtroom, she did not attend heairng. The judge waited for over three and a half hours, but Bushra Bibi remained absent. The authorities produce Khan before the court.
Due to her non-appearance, statements of four prosecution witnesses could not be recorded. The court expressed displeasure over her refusal to appear, warning that if she fails to attend the next hearing, her bail may be revoked. The accused is being given one final opportunity, the judge remarked.
Meanwhile, the prosecution requested the court to cancel Bushra Bibi's bail, arguing that the case should proceed in her absence. Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi asked the court to exercise its authority and continue proceedings without her presence.
However, the judge granted Bushra Bibi one final chance and adjourned the hearing of the Toshakhana-II reference until June 3.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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