Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan has spent the last seven month’s in frenzied political activity. He has conducted over 100 public gatherings this year following his ouster in a vote of no confidence in April including periods when it became a daily affair. His long march to Islamabad — or the Haqeeqi Azadi March — was ostensibly to achieve one goal: to force the PML-N led coalition government to announce early elections.

With Saturday’s ‘power show’ in Rawalpindi ending without the fulfilment of this goal, Imran needed some saving grace — not as much for himself but for his beleaguered supporters. This came in the form of an announcement that his party would be resigning from the national and provincial assemblies, resulting in the dissolution of at least the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab assemblies where PTI has the requisite numbers.

This provided ‘political hope’ to his supporters while also allowing Imran to reinforce his narrative that he wouldn’t be part of the ‘corrupt system’.

Resignations and dissolution

Can Imran’s latest gambit pave the way for general elections? His announcement has kickstarted a political, legal and constitutional debate, enabling him to dominate headlines over the issue as political parties scuttle over the math of it all.

This begins with calculating the number of seats that PTI has in the four provincial assemblies: whether the PTI has enough numbers for the dissolution of the assembly in question resulting in fresh elections, or if the resignations would result in by-elections.

Considering the political calculus and the situation as it is evolving, the situation might not be as straightforward as the PTI would like its supporters to believe.

Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies

Imran has his sight set on the two pprovincial assemblies where the PTI is in the government. In the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, they also have the chief minister, Mahmood Khan.

In Punjab, the situation is slightly difference where PTI is in an alliance with the PML-Q, with Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi belonging to the latter.

If we set aside the constitutional implications of the decision to dissolve assemblies and assume that the two chief ministers would be able to do the needful, then rules dictate that general elections for the provincial assemblies be held in 90 days. The resultant assemblies would then be required to complete their five-year term.

If PTI is defeated in these elections, then it would mean that the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition - which includes PPP, PML-N and JUI-F among others - would have an advantage in the general election for the National Assembly.

But if the results go in PTI’s favour, which is what Imran is counting on, then the situation would be inverted. if the PTI ends up taking control of assemblies in KP and Punjab, then it would have to remain a part of the same “corrupt system” for another year or till the time general elections take place. Meanwhile, the same PDM-led coalition would be in power at the Centre and in Balochistan and Sindh provinces. As is said, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Sindh & Balochistan assemblies

Pakistan People’s Party is currently in government in Sindh with PTI in the opposition. The number of PTI lawmakers in Sindh is 30, of which 23 members were successful on general seats.

Since the provincial chief executive, Murad Ali Shah, belongs to the PPP, the PTI does not have the authority to dissolve the Sindh Assembly. In such a scenario, the PTI lawmakers would have to resign. It would result in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) conducting by-elections on the 23 seats. Since Imran does not want to be part of this ‘corrupt system’, it will lose these 23 seats in case of boycott of the by-elections. The implications of any such decisions would truly manifest in the upcoming general elections

The situation in Balochistan is similar. While seven PTI MNAs are part of the coalition government, the party does not have the authority to dissolve the assembly as Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, the chief minister, belongs to another party, the Balochistan Awami Party.

In such a case, with the resignation of seven members, the Balochistan government would have to conduct by-elections on these seats. PTI will not only lose these seven seats, but they will face difficulties in these constituencies in the upcoming general elections as well.

PTI’s end goal

With PTI lawmakers not attending NA sessions following the en masse resignation, they are already out of the federal assembly. With the decision to quit Sindh and Balochistan, it would lose its footing in those two assemblies for the rest of the parliamentary year.

The PDM doesn’t control Punjab, where Imran Khan has a tenuous coalition with Pervaiz Elahi. There is always the possibility that Asif Ali Zardari, with all his shrewdness and aptitutde for realpolitik, might have something up his sleeve. If Zardari pops that a surprise, the PTI might end up losing control of Punjab.

Another aspect which Imran Khan would like to stay secret is the fear that he might be arrested if he were to stay at his Banigala residence in Islamabad. By quitting the Punjab and KP assemblies, he would be saying farewell to the relatively safety of Lahore and Peshawar. It could leave him without a base camp till the next general elections.

How the situation pans out is anybody’s guess. What we know for now is that the government hasn’t been cornered into annoucing early elections but Imran’s threat of dissolving assemblies has them scampering.

Pakistan Tehreek Insaf Chief Imran Khan has announced that his party will march on Rawalpindi on Saturday, November 26 to demand snap elections.

Addressing his supporters via a video link as the PTI Haqeeqi Azadi March participants arrived in Rawat on the outskirts of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the former prime minister urged the “entire nation” to come to Rawalpindi where, he said, he will announce his future line of action.

Imran Khan’s announcement leaves exactly one week between now and the day he marches to the garrison city. In the intervening period, the government will likely announce the next chief of army staff.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Friday that the process for the appointment of the next COAS will begin on Monday and the name will be announced by Tuesday or Wednesday.

The PML-N government has repeatedly claimed that Imran Khan is marching on the twin cities in an attempt to influence this key appointment. Khan says he only wants the next COAS to be ‘appointed on merit’ and that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who is living in exile in London, has no right to provide input on such a significant decision.

In the video-link address that lasted nearly an hour, Imran Khan said he still faced threats to his life but will arrive in Rawalpindi to lead the protest next week.

The PTI chief said that it was political parties and not the military that could keep the country united.

Imran Khan defended himself against what he called propaganda over his decision to retain and sell a previous Graff watch gifted to him as prime minister of Pakistan by Saudi rulers in 2018.

He said a particular media group, the PMLN, and the “Dirty Harry” had joined hands to malign him.

The former prime minister also questioned the rationale of the establishment behind re-installing PMLN and PPP in power and said that the economy had deteriorated in the seven months since his removal.

Incidents of terrorism increased by 53 percent because these people are occupied by getting their court cases closed, he said.

If you drive from Lahore to Islamabad/Rawalpindi on the Grand Trunk Road, a few kilometers before the twin cities, the town of Rawat welcomes you. The Islamabad Highway, also known as Faisal Avenue, branches off from Grand Trunk Road here and takes you deep into the federal capital without letting you enter the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

GT Road is also known as Jernaili Sarak, the generals’ road, in Urdu, as it passes in front of the Pakistan Army headquarters. This is why, when people arrive at this Y junction, they don’t continue on this road, unless, of course, they mean business in that area. Taking the Islamabad Expressway is always a better option.

It will be at this junction that the PTI’s Haqeeqi Azadi long march will find itself today, at quite literally a turning point. Imran Khan will announce at around 2pm whether he will enter Rawalpindi or head directly to Islamabad, according to party leaders.

The original route issued by the party last month indicated that PTI protesters led by Imran Khan were to storm Rawalpindi and then use Murree Road to turn up at the Faizabad Interchange intersection between Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

The march coincides with the appointment of the next chief of army staff as General Qamar Javed Bajwa, hangs up his uniform on November 29.

The PML-N government has repeatedly claimed that Imran Khan was attempting to influence this key appointment. Khan says he only wants the next COAS to be ‘appointed on merit’ and that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who is living in exile in London, has no right to provide input on such a significant decision.

Khan says he is marching to press for free and fair elections, and not to arm-twist Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over the COAS appointment.

On Friday evening, there were reports that a compromise has been reached; PML-N’s Ishq Dar, the finance minister, met President Arif Alvi, who is from Khan’s PTI, and delivered a key message. A huddle at Prime Minister House discussed the names of a few senior army officers for the top position.

On social media, PTI supporters appeared to praise Lt General Asim Munir, the top-runner for the COAS slot. Previously, Khan was said to be apprehensive of Munir becoming COAS as the general reportedly had a falling-out with Khan in October 2019, when the latter was prime minister. Back then, Khan removed Lt General Munir as the head of the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) only eight months after he picked him for the job.

Whether the compromise has been reached or not will become clear when Khan announces which road he is going to take today.

PTI supporters from other cities have been told to gather in Rawalpindi. PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry said in a tweet that this was the ‘final leg’ of the march and PTI activists should be on their toes as Khan announces the ‘call for Rawalpindi.’

However, the fact remains that the Islamabad Expressway saves you trouble and helps you avoid congested Rawalpindi downtown.

LAHORE: Punjab government has finally started action to set up a Joint Investigation Team to investigate the assassination attempt on Imran Khan last Thursday, said a press handout on Wednesday.

The decision was taken by the cabinet’s committee on law and order. The committee was chaired by Raja Basharat and included Omar Sarfraz Cheema, the chief secretary and other senior officers.

However, since PTI itself is in government, it was not clarified whether the government would talk to protestors or if the matter would be raised within the party to reopen motorways that have been blocked for the last three days.

Imran Khan was injured after the ‘Haqeeqi Azadi March’ came under fire in Wazirabad. One person was killed while multiple PTI leaders were also injured.

Additional IG Highways Patrol Riaz Nazeer Gara will head the JIT, and members of multiple security agencies, including CTD, will be part of the team.

Security beefed up as PTI plans resumption of march

PTI has announced that the long march is set to resume its progress from Wazirabad from Thursday, exactly a week after the attack. Fawad Chaudhry said that there will be no more delays and the march will reach Rawalpindi by the third week of november where Imran Khan will join in person. Shah Mahmood Qureshi will lead the march in Khan’s absence

The committee decided that the security arrangements normally reserved for former PM Imran Khan will continue to be provided for the long march container as it travels from Wazirabad to Rawalpindi. This includes 15,000 police officials as well as snipers to guard the long march’s route. Police has also been asked to ensure that a bullet-proof rostrum is installed on top of the container.

The district administrations through whose jurisdiction the march will pass have been instructed to maintain close contact with PTI leadership.

The committee also decided that PTI will be engaged for reopening of motorways and giving passage to judges. The party has been on protesting since Monday, with traffic in Rawalpindi seeing particular blockages.

PTI unhappy with ‘weak’ FIR

The FIR of the incident was finally registered on Tuesday, after the Supreme Court threatened police authorities with a suo moto notice. Curiously enough, the FIR was also leaked to the media on Monday night.

However, PTI immediately made its reservations known, with Musarrat Cheema even calling it fake. However, when the authenticity of the FIR was indeed confirmed, PTI organized a protest in front of the IG office.

The deadlock originated from Imran Khan’s insistence that the names of Shahbaz Sharif, Rana Sanaullah and a senior army officer be included in the FIR. However, the final FIR contained none of the three names. It remains to be seen if the JIT will fulfill Imran Khan;s wishes of investigating the three people.

Calls for a JIT

The proposal for a JIT emerged immediately after the attack, when CM Pervaiz Elahi had issued a statement after meeting Imran Khan in Lahore. Elahi had said that he had instructed that the CTD be included in the team.

“We want to know who is behind the attack, who trained him, where he got the money for the attack from,” Elahi has said.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had also called for a JIT to be formed for a free and fair investigation, assuring the Punjab Government of his support. However, it is unclear if the provincial government will accept the offer of support, after the interior minister has regularly attacked PTI in his press conferences.

Imran Khan announced that his ‘Haqeeqi Azadi March’ will resume on Tuesday from the same spot in Wazirabad from where it was attacked, adding that he will address the march via videolink. He was addressing the media from SKMH in Lahore, where he is recovering from his injuries.

The march will be led in his absence by Shah Mahmood Qureshi and will take 10-14 days to reach Rawalpindi, where processions from KP will also join in. “From Rawalpindi, I will lead the march myself,” he said.

Former PM Imran Khan said that if he had been unable to get an FIR registered three days after an assassination attempt, there was virtually no hope for a ordinary man to get justice.

“I am certain that the three people I mentioned hatched a conspiracy to kill me,” Imran Khan said. He had named the PM, the interior minister and a senior army officer as the people behind the attack on his life on a speech on Friday.

He also said strongly reacted to the ISPR’s statement that had dismissed his claimes, calling them “baseless and uncalled for”. He said that accountability strengthens institutions instead of weakening them.

Imran Khan also read out a list of how coordinated Tweets were sent out by journalists and political activists right after the the assassination attempt. He said that IG Punjab claimed that the shooter’s confessions were leaked due to ‘hacking’.

He also said that the plans to orchestrate a ‘Salman-Taseer type shooting’ had been made a long time ago, beginning with a doctored video that tried to show that he made religiously offensive remarks.

Judicial Commission

Imran Khan also said that he welcomed the creation of a judicial commission to investigate the attempt on his life as suggested by PM Shahbaz Sharif, but added that the commission would be useless unless the three people he had nominated were removed from their offices.

He added that Azam Swati had decided to organise a sit-in infront of the Supreme Court until hsi pleas are heard. “PTI’s senators and lawyer organisations will also be joining him to demand justice.”

He said that a judicial commission should also investigate Arshad Sharif’s death and the cipher that he has been citing as proof of the conspiracy to remove him.

KARACHI: The assassination attempt on former prime minister Imran Khan and his accusation it was a plot involving a senior intelligence officer has pushed Pakistan into a “dangerous phase”, analysts say.

Imran escaped with bullet wounds to his legs from an assassination attempt on Thursday as he led supporters on a highly publicised march – ‘Azadi March’ – to Islamabad to press for early elections.

He claimed Friday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and an intelligence officer plotted to have him killed and have it blamed on “a religious fanatic”.

“The political situation in Pakistan has entered into a dangerous phase,” said academic and political analyst Tauseef Ahmed Khan, who is also a board member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

“In a country with a history of political chaos, the sounds echo.”

Despite being ousted by a vote of no-confidence in April, Imran retains mass public support – winning a string of by-elections even as he battles a slew of legal cases brought by the current government.

As the pressure rises, the government’s dependence on the country’s “deep state” – a term often used to refer to the powerful military – for its survival is increasing, Ahmed Khan said.

“It is a perilous situation – not only for the democratic process but also for the country – especially with regards to economic development,” he said.

“The issue(s) of poverty, hunger, and development fall into the background.”

At each other’s throats

Imran and Shehbaz have been at each other’s throats for months, trading accusations of incompetence and corruption with language and tone dripping with contempt.

But such a public accusation by Imran, and the naming of a senior military officer, has taken the situation to a new level of crisis.

Imran has offered no evidence to back his claims, which the government has dismissed as “lies and fabrications”.

Read: PM Shehbaz asks CJP Bandial to form full-court commission to probe Imran’s allegations

On Friday, the military’s press wing issued a statement urging the government to take Imran to court for defamation.

Officials from Imran’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party could also be in the crosshairs.

Senior party members have already been charged with “sedition” and other offences since Imran’s ouster, as have journalists considered sympathetic to the former PM.

“It seems that now some sort of operation might be launched against PTI,” said analyst Ahmed Khan, adding there was a risk the party could fragment.

As Imran’s huge rallies are designed to prove – to both his political opposition and the military – that he has the support of the public, the results could be “chaos, despair, and disappointment”, he added.

In such a charged atmosphere, multiple accusations and denials from both sides are unlikely to ever be properly probed, said Karachi-based political analyst Kaiser Bengali.

That, he added, leaves room for conspiracy theories to abound.

“The state has lost its legitimacy… police, law and order institutions – even the judiciary,” he said.

What went wrong

Bengali said the military was now “sitting and wondering what went wrong and what can they do”.

The government has said the assassination bid against Imran was “a very clear case of religious extremism”, blaming a lone gunman who hailed from a poor village.

Pakistan has long grappled with militancy, with right-wing religious groups having huge sway over the population in the country.

Imran and his PTI have been accused in the past of stoking religious sentiments to appeal to a wider support base.

“Religious extremism is a weapon which the PTI use – and so do the army and the state,” said Bengali. “So we are heading towards an immensely dangerous situation.”

Behind the political crisis, however, hides a more pervasive one: the economy.

“The state is bankrupt, whatever resources it has are consumed in debt servicing and defence, and the government salaries,” Bengali said.

“Whatever crumbs are available is what the politicians are fighting over… that is why the fight has become so petty.”

Sporadic and organised protests continue in cities across Pakistan for the third-day consecutive day Saturday over the attempted assassination of party chief Imran Khan during the Azadi March in Wazirabad on Thursday.

KARACHI

PTI staged a formal protest at the central Numaish Chowrangi in Karachi, with a large number of women protesters in attendance.

The protesters, raising anti-government and pro-PTI slogans, walked from the roundabout in the form of a rally on the MA Jinnah Road. The rally ended at Tibet Centre, about two kilometres from the starting point.

It resulted in the closure of one track of MA Jinna Road all the way to the Jama Cloth Market in Karachi’s downtown area.

However, the numbers had dwindled compared to protests on the previous day.

Lahore

In Punjab’s provincial capital, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry led PTI protesters gathered at the Shanghai Bridge and Chungi Amar Sadhu.

They raised slogans against the government as well as Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi, a PTI ally, over the delay in the registration of the FIR in the attempted assassination of Imran Khan.

PTI workers also blocked the main Lahore-Kasur road, creating bottlenecks and long queues.

Rawalpindi

In the garrison city of Rawalpindi, PTI workers protesters at the Faizabad flyover - long a favourite for protesters as it is the main junction joining it to twin city Islamabad.

It resulted in clashes, like on previous days, with police resorting to shelling to disperse protesters.

##Gujrat

In Punjab CM Pervaiz Elahi’s hometown and stronghold Gujarat, PTI activists blocked traffic at Shaheen Chowk, leading to long traffic queues on the GT Road bypass.

The workers raised slogans against the federal government and in favor of Imran Khan.

Rahim Yar Khan

PTI workers in Rahim Yar Khan have been protesting for almost 24 hours. It has resulted in bottlenecks on the National Highway.

Commuters are facing trouble while delivery of goods to the city has also been affected.

Sarai Alamgir

In Sarai Alamgir, located on the eastern bank of the Jhelum River, PTI workers blocked the GT Road from both sides by holding a sit-in there.

Nawaz Sharif has instructed PM Shahbaz Sharif to act immediately against Imran Khan and ‘fulfill all legal requirements’ in the light of ISPR’s recent statement, Aaj News reported on Saturday citing sources.

The two leaders spoke on the phone on Saturday.

“This man (Imran) is talking about a bloody revolution after pitting the army and public against each other,” Nawaz Sharif was reported as saying. He added that the PTI chief was spreading hatred against the institutions of the country.

In response, Shahbaz Sharif said that Imran Khan has become a ‘security risk’. “We are acting against him,” the prime minister told his brother in London.

PML-N has also called a high-level meeting in Lahore. Senior party leaders including ministers Ayaz Sadiq and Khwaja Saad Rafique will hold a discussion with the PM to decide the party’s strategy in light of Imran Khan’s latest statement.

Speaking from the hospital with a cast on his right leg one day after surviving the assassination attempt, former PM Imran Khan had accused Rana Sanaullah, Shahbaz Sharif and an army major of orchestrating the attack. He had added that he would resume his long march, as soon as he recovered.

In response, the ISPR issued a strongly worded statement against the ‘absolutely unacceptable and uncalled for’ statement by Imran Khan. “No one will be allowed to defame the institution or its soldiers with impunity,” the statement said.

Read more: Military demands legal action against Imran Khan over false accusations

Replying to the statement, PTI leader Asad Umar took to Twitter to say that Imran Khan’s criticism was aimed at strengthening institutions through accountability. “Any attempt to equate criticism of individuals with criticism of the institution is rejected,” he said.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad police have registered separate cases against several long march participants, including the PTI leaders for assaulting personnel of law enforcement agencies and vandalising public property.

The cases were registered with the Industrial Area Police Station on Friday under sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty); 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 422 and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

More than 250 protesters led by PTI leaders Amir Mehmood Kayani, Ali Ahmed Awan, Wasif Qayyum, Chaudhry Shoaib and others were moving towards Faizabad on Friday evening and they provoked party activists to attack police and FC personnel, the FIR alleged.

At least nine FC personnel and five police officers had been injured in the attack, the FIR added.

Videos showed that some protesters had also set ablaze the motorcycle of an orphan bike rider, who was seen crying in a video widely shared on social media.

The victim, Ishtiaq, said in the video that he was the breadwinner for his large family after the death of his father. “I am a student of class 9th and also cover the cost of his education by riding the bike hailing service,” he said.

The owner of the shop where Imran Khan’s alleged shooter parked his motorcycle has been arrested. The total number of arrests made in the investigation has now reached four. The latest person arrested is said to be a close relative of the shooter.

Naveed, the alleged shooter and main culprit, was arrested immediately after the assassination attempt. His revelations in custody earlier led to the arrests of Waqas and Sajid Butt, who provided him a gun and ammunition for Rs 20,000.

While the two confessional statements released to the media have mostly explained his motivation for the attack, the arrests seem to be made based on things said in custody. The FIR for the incident is yet to be registered, however, the Punjab government has announced that the CTD will be involved in the investigation.

Naveed has already told investigators, that he came to the site of the shooting on his own motorcycle and parked it at a relative’s shop. He then tried to climb on top of a mosque, but failed. Somehow managing to get within a few feet of Imran Khan’s container, he fired multiple rounds before chaos ensued. He was apprehended soon afterwards. It has also been revealed that Naveed is a drug addict.

In a video released soon afterwards, he said he had aimed to assassinate Imran Khan because his religious sentiments had been hurt by the PTI chief’s statements.

One person was confirmed dead, although Naveed claimed that a security official shot the man and not him. The deceased, identified as Moazzam Gondal, was buried on Friday. Meanwhile, Imran Khan was shifted to SKMH in Lahore, where he continues to recover from his injuries.

ISLAMABAD: The district administration has urged the Islamabad High Court to reject the PTI’s writ petition for a sit-in and rally in the federal capital in view of the law and order situation and threats to Imran Khan’s life.

“It is important to mention here that there has been such extremist incidents in Islamabad such the murder of Salman Taseer (Governor) and assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti (Ex-Federal Minister) by the religious fanatics,” said the petition filed on Saturday.

The administration expressed its concerns by quoting the confession of the prime suspect in the assassination attempt on Imran’s life in its petition.

Imran got injured when a man standing near his container in Wazirabad shot at him during the long march on Thursday. The incident left one man dead and several others injured.

“There is likely chance of such religious fanatics entering into the rally and may create such like incidents in Islamabad.”

The district administration claimed that the sitting minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and party supporters openly announced to come to Islamabad with arms/weapons and other materials for use against law enforcement agencies.

This comes days after the IHC’s decision to reserve the decision on PTI’s plea to issue NOC and permission for staging a sit-in in Islamabad. The former ruling party has moved the court against the administration’s decision to not allow permission for a rally at the Srinagar Highway.

ISLAMABAD: Videos of the protesters, who allegedly destroyed public property and carried out an arson attack, in the PTI demonstration would be sent to the National Database and Registration Authority by the Islamabad police for arrests, sources said.

They added that the federal capital police have decided to identify such people via CCTV cameras and mobile videos, which were making rounds on social media.

Sources said that miscreants’ data would be sought after verification from Nadra. Legal action would be taken after the identification.

Meanwhile, the FC detained several workers of PTI protesters at Murree Road on Friday. Supporters of the former ruling party took to the streets against the assassination attempt on Imran Khan during the Azadi March in Wazirabad.

Over 36 hours after Imran Khan was injured in an assassination attempt, the FIR of the incident has still not been registered. Aaj News correspondent Ateeq Malik reported that PTI lawyers spent hours in the police station on Friday but no progress was made.

DPO Gujrat had said that the FIR would be registered as soon as the affected party or their representatives approached the police.

However, when lawyers from PTI reached the police station Friday evening they were made to wait hours because the electricity supply to the police station was suspended. Even after power was restored the police did not register the FIR.

The lawyers were then told that they could submit their application and leave but they insisted on staying until the FIR was registered and a computerised slip was handed over. However, after spending five hours in the police station they had to return empty-handed.

PTI lawyer’s forum members dispersed after a brief protest and told Aaj News that they would return to the police station on Saturday. Party leader Zubair Niazi told reporters that they will only be satisfied when all the people mentioned by Imran Khan were nominated in the FIR.

As per standard procedure, whenever an aggrieved party approaches a police station their application is received and a computerised slip is issued. An FIR is then lodged after preliminary investigation.

The delay in the register of the FIR comes despite the fact that the PTI is part of the government in Punjab.

DPO Gujrat had said on Friday that an FIR can also be registered on the instructions of the Punjab government but no such instructions have been received yet.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan was injured when his long march came under fire in Wazirabad. The alleged shooter, identified as Naveed, was apprehended immediately after the incident. Investigations are underway, with Punjab’s Counter Terrorism Department also being engaged.

https://www.aajenglish.tv/live/azadi-march-nov5-2022

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf would protest in all cities today (Saturday), party leader Asad Umar said in a tweet. The demonstration is scheduled to start at 5pm.

“Each city’s protest location will be announced by local organizations. Show them that no one can suppress a truly free nation,” he said. “I myself will participate in the protest at Liberty Chowk Lahore.”

The protests call comes after the assassination attempt on former prime minister Imran Khan. The attempt on his life left him with a gunshot wound to the leg. “I will give a call to march on Islamabad once I get better,” Imran said in a live address on Friday from a hospital in Lahore where he has been receiving medical treatment.

WAZIRABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan was recovering in hospital on Friday after an assassination attempt that left him with a gunshot wound to the leg.

The attack on his convoy, apparently by a lone gunman, killed one man and wounded at least 10 others, significantly raising the stakes in political crisis gripping the country since Imran’s ousting in April.

Imran “was stable and he was doing fine” at Shaukat Khanum hospital in the eastern city of Lahore, his doctor Faisal Sultan told AFP Friday morning.

The 70-year-old former international cricket star had been leading a campaign convoy of thousands since last week from Lahore to Islamabad when he was attacked.

Imran escaped with at least one bullet wound to his right leg when a gunmen sprayed pistol fire at his modified container truck as it slowly drove through a thick crowd in Wazirabad, around 170 kilometres (100 miles) east of Islamabad.

“Everyone who was standing in the very front row got hit,” former information minister Fawad Chaudhry, who was standing behind Imran, told AFP.

Senior aide Raoof Hasan told AFP it was “an attempt to kill him, to assassinate him”.

Several leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have blamed the government for the assassination attempt, which the authorities have denied.

Fawad said PTI officials would meet later Friday to discuss the immediate fate of Imran’s campaign march, but vowed it would continue.

“The real freedom long march will continue and the movement for people’s rights will remain until an announcement on the general elections,” he tweeted.

New details have emerged about one of the casualties of the attempted assassination on Imran Khan.

An eyewitness has claimed that Moazzam, who was in the crowd when he died, was shot by security officials.

Shahid Afzaal Ahmad told Aaj News that security officials fired in retaliation to the shooting. As a result Moazzam, who was sitting outside a property dealer’s office, was killed on the spot. However, these claims could not be verified by another source.

Moazzam worked in Kuwait and had come home for vacations.

The assassination was attempted as the long march made its way through Wazirabad. Ex-PM Imran Khan was also injured in the shooting and was shifted to Lahore.

PTI leader Fawad Chauhdry said the attempt on Imran Khan’s life was planned in advance, while also disputing the claim that the assassin was armed with a pistol. “It was not [fired from] a 9mm but a burst from a an automatic weapon,” he tweeted.

Meanwhile, PTI’s Senator Ejaz Chaudhry said that they had informed authorities concerned about the impending attack but no action was taken.

“Last night, I called Ahmed Chattha from Lahore and told him about the conspiracy. I told him that there would be an assassination attack on Khan at Wazir Abad Chowk. A plan is already in place,” he said.

He added that Chattha, who was shot in the stomach during the assassination attempt, had conveyed the details of the threat to the regional police officer but they failed to make adequate arrangements for the safety of the PTI marchers.

Meanwhile, Asad Umar tweeted that the attack was a cowardly attempt to stop Imran from reaching his destination.

“When they could not stop him, the cowards tried to kill him,” he tweeted.

Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed labelled the attack on Imran Khan an attack on the security and democracy of Pakistan. “It is a conspiracy to trigger civil war in the country,” the veteran politician said in a video message in the aftermath of the assassination attempt targeting the PTI chief during the Azadi March in Wazirabad Thursday.

“This is an attack on Pakistan’s democracy,” said Rashid.

He said that the country’s interior minister Rana Sanaullah had already suggested that there would be bloodshed during the march. He urged PTI supporters not to take the law in their own hands while assuring people of justice. “They will not be allowed to run away. They will be face the law.”

Former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi called the firing incident an attempt to give the impression that the PTI protest march was a threat to security.

Amid the chaos from that resulted from the attempted assassination on PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s container, news channels showed footage of a citizen confronting the shooter, presumably thwarting his plans.

Videos showed a young man grappling with the shooter, forcing him to raise the gun in the air. The shooter struggled to get free as people around them fled the scene.

Later videos also showed him being lifted in celebration by PTI workers.

Four people including Imran Khan were injured in the attack as the long march reached Wazirabad.

The Islamabad administration offered Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf permission to protest in Islamabad on November 4 in exchange for accepting 39 conditions on Thursday.

The PTI’s ‘Haqeeqi Azadi March’ hit the roads last Friday from Lahore and has slowly progressed towards its eventual destination Islamabad. It is set to resume its progress on day 7 from Wazirabad.

Meanwhile, PTI’s leaders in Islamabad have been waiting to get permission from the district administration to hold a protest.

Now the local authorities have offered the PTI a spot near T-Chowk in Rawat, at the very edge of Islamabad, to hold their protest. Authorities further said that the permission will be offered only for one day.

The PTI had requested the administration to be allowed to protest at a site between G-9 and H-9 in Islamabad. However, the authorities said that this would result in complete blockage of the Srinagar Highway, one of the capital’s main arteries. The location offered by the administration would ensure that the basic right of movement of citizens will not be affected, the authorities said.

The party will also be required to identify 12 people who will be on stage during the protest. The use of loudspeakers and burning of other parties’ flags will be prohibited.

Bringing weapons into the protest venue or making ‘anti-state, anti-state or anti-ideology of Pakistan’ speeches would not be allowed.

The affidavit also asks the PTI chief to take responsibility to ensure that protesters stay confined to the specified venue. Imran would also be declared responsible for any casualties that might occur during the protest.

The affidavit will require Imran Khan’s signature for permission to be formally granted. Party leaders have not outlined an exact date for the march’s arrival in Islamabad, leader Fawad Chaudhry even said that they want to keep the government guessing about the march’s arrival.