Imran Khan calls on workers to prepare for 'Jail Bharo' movement

LAHORE: Irked by detentions and recent cases filed against the leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party's chairman Imran Khan Saturday asked his workers and supporters to prepare for "Jail Bharo" movement across the country.

Khan’s comments come in the wake of sedition cases filed against his party's Senior Vice-President Fawad Chaudhry and former member of National Assembly Shandana Gulzar, while Senator Azam Swati and Shahbaz Gill were booked earlier for speaking against the military.

During his televised address, the deposed prime minister said his party could have opted for a nationwide strike, but will choose to fill the prisons instead in light of the fears that the country's economy might deteriorate further.

“We have two options: Considering what they have been doing, we could have gone for a wheel-jam strike and demonstrations — which is also a way and a democratic one."

"But since the state of economy is so bad, it’ll worsen. Therefore, I ask all my workers, the Pakistani nation and everyone to prepare for Jail Bharo movement,” Khan said.

The former premier, while addressing the youth and nation, added that his party won’t stay quiet on the violence being inflicted on his party’s members. “Instead of causing destruction, we would now prepare Jail Bharo movement.”

“It was their plan to weaken Tehreek-e-Insaf by frightening and threatening,” the PTI chief said.

Khan claimed his party never committed such atrocities in its tenure as the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government in the centre has.

“Fawad Chaudhry was picked up from home at 3am. What did Shandana Gulzar do that made her a terrorist. As the court gives bail to Sheikh Rashid, more cases are being filed against him,” the PTI chairman said, insisting how action has been taken against every person who called out the regime change.

The former prime minister said human rights violations have continued since the "imported government" arrived.

“No example can be found for the way Shehbaz Gill was tortured. The effects of the torture on him are still there,” Khan said.

Speaking about the attempted assassination attack on himself, the PTI chairman said he couldn’t get the FIR of his choice registered despite being a former prime minister. However, he said, 60 FIRs were filed against him.

Slamming the PDM government for not being able to control the skyrocketing dollar rates, Khan said: “When the no-confidence motion came to the assembly on the basis of a conspiracy, the dollar was for Rs178. The dollar [rates] increased by Rs50 within a week.”