Civil disobedience timeline to be given if Imran's demands not met: PTI

PESHAWAR: Forming a powerful negotiation committee to engage in talks with the government and institutions, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders on Sunday threatened to start a civil disobedience if justice was not served with regard to the events of November 24.

Speaking at a press conference here, Opposition Leader Omar Ayub, Asad Qaiser, Shibli Faraz and Sheikh Waqas Akram said that the PTI’s negotiation committee comprising Asad Qaiser, Salman Akram Raja, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Omar Ayub and Hamid Raza was fully authorised to negotiate with the government and institutions.

They said that PTI’s founder and former prime minister Imran Khan’s key demands included release of all arrested workers and conducting a judicial inquiry into the May 9 and D-Chowk incidents. They said that if these demands were not met, the PTI would then launch a civil disobedience movement with its timeline to be announced later.

The PTI leaders also announced their willingness to negotiate for reducing hatred and unrest in the country and invited anyone interested in dialogue to contact them.

About the November 24 protest sit-in, the PTI leaders said that 12 of their workers had been martyred, thousands injured while 200 were still missing.

They also claimed that 5,000 workers had been arrested during the protest sit-in. They also announced that the PTI would hold a condolence reference and a jirga on December 13 in Peshawar and invited political parties to participate. The leaders said that condolence references and rallies would be held abroad on December 15 to pay tributes to the martyred workers and those who endured ordeals during the protest and afterward the government’s persecutions.

Omar Ayub said that he had met Imran Khan for three hours in Adiala jail on December 5, where the incarcerated leader conveyed messages for the public. He said that he was later arrested despite having obtained bail from the Peshawar High Court, in what he termed unconstitutional and illegal action by the Islamabad Police.

He accused the authorities of firing upon peaceful PTI workers that resulted in 12 deaths and caused injuries to thousands. “Hospitals’ records of casualties and injured persons have been manipulated and families of the deceased were being forced to remain silent,” he alleged.

Omar Ayub also came down hard on the government for detaining over 5,000 PTI workers.

About the prevailing situation, he claimed the country was under a “virtual martial law” with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif acting as a subordinate to the establishment.

He alleged that state terrorism was being carried out against the PTI workers, including raids on their homes and use of advanced US and NATO weapons during the November 25-26 crackdown. On this occasion, Shibli Faraz urged the government to seize this opportunity for dialogue, saying that Imran Khan had endured jail hardships for the public. Asad Qaiser said that Pakistan’s Constitution had guaranteed the right to peaceful protest but the rulers had unleashed brute force against the PTI protesters. He recounted PTI’s commitment to lawful, peaceful protests and criticised the alleged mistreatment of Pashtuns in Punjab and Islamabad, saying that such actions sow the seeds of division and unrest in the country.

Waqas Akram Sheikh vowed to continue the struggle for getting justice for PTI’s martyrs. He demanded action against those who had committed violence against peaceful protesters.