MIANWALI: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Friday (today) continued to build pressure against the incumbent coalition government, with party chief Imran Khan saying that he will soon give a call to his workers to descend on Islamabad while addressing a public gathering in his hometown Mianwali.

“I will give a call for the Islamabad public rally any day after May 20,” Imran Khan told a crowd of thousands of supporters gathered in his hometown.

He also warned the coalition government not to take any action against PTI workers while holding it responsible for the accident that left his spokesperson Shehbaz Gill .

“Shehbaz Gill was attacked on the motorway yesterday. From now on, if anything happens to [PTI] workers, the three stooges and their handlers will be responsible.”

Speaking about the the registration of in Islamabad against him and other PTI leaders over the Masjid-e-Nabwi incident that saw the government delegation being met with chants of thieves, he disassociated his party from the incident.

However, he added that chants of “traitors and thieves” would be raised whereever they go while calling it popular sentiment.

Imran also urged party supporters to teach PTI defectors and disloyal members “a lesson to the lotas (turncoats)”.

“Treat them in a manner that no one would ever think again of selling their conscience,” he said.

Talking about his ouster, he reiterated that an international conspiracy resulted in ouster, while blaming “Mir Jaffers and Mir Sadiqs” for facilitating it.

Imran said that Pakistan would never bow down to external pressure or “super power” in another reference to the US that he blames for the conspiracy.

Earlier today

Preparations were under way at the Mianwali General Bus Stand, with workers readying party flags and looking up for arrangements. Barbed wires and containers were deployed to cover the ground.

“Mianwali, inshallah before maghrib on Friday I am coming for you and I am starting my campaign for real independence from the imported and corrupt government,” PTI chief Imran said in a video statement on May 4.

He had added that he was starting his drive from the place where he got first elected as a lawmaker. The PTI chairman urged the people to turn up in large numbers for the public gathering.

PTI’s local administration told Aaj News that Imran would arrive at the rally site at 5:30pm and address the people at 6:00pm. They are also urging people to reach the site early as it is a daytime public gathering.

The former ruling party has set their arrangements at around 10-20 acres – out of the total 50 acres – land of the Mianwali General Bus Stand. They have claimed that as many as 200,000-300,000 people would attend the rally.

Before the 2018 General Elections, the PTI had staged its rally at the Railway Ground in the city. The Imran-led party had then managed to fill the ground, which is secured with boundary walls contrary to the bus stand ground.

The PTI has claimed that their government was toppled by a foreign conspiracy and the incumbent ruling parties were part of it. Imran supported such a claim by having a “threat letter” that came to light at the PTI rally in Islamabad on March 27. He has accused the US of hatching the conspiracy, which the latter has several times denied.

Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Thursday announced the government’s decision to form an independent commission to investigate the apparent foreign conspiracy.