Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday appealed to his party workers to stand up against the brutalities, come what may.
“Zahra Shahid Hussain did not lay down her life for nothing. Her sacrifice will not go in vain,” said Imran Khan in a video message to PTI workers from the hospital where he is recovering from the injuries received in a fall at a pre-poll rally.
He announced that PTI would launch a protest movement against the cold-blooded murder of PTI leader Zahra Shahid Hussain today (Monday).
“(Protesting) is our democratic right and we will be protesting in Karachi tomorrow,” he said, adding he himself would lead the demos in Karachi once he was out of the hospital.
“I regret that I would not be able to join the protest demonstrations in Karachi right now, but hopefully I will be rubbing shoulders with you as soon as doctors discharge me from the hospital,” he said.
He invited people from all political parties to protest alongside the PTI. “The people of Karachi are responsible for its future,” he said.
Imran had earlier held Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain responsible for the death of the PTI leader who was shot outside her house in Karachi late on Saturday.
Additionally, Imran said the party would be demonstrating in front of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Islamabad office on Friday to protest against the election rigging.
He added that for the sake of the “continuance” of this democratic system, he was not insisting upon a reelection.
“We will also be demonstrating tomorrow in all districts and headquarters to register our protest over rigging… we don’t want to derail democracy. We just want everyone to know what happened,” he said, adding, “I am not asking for a re-poll because I want this system to endure.”
Going forward, the PTI chief said Karachi was being controlled by mongering fear among people.
Separately, a private TV channel reported that Imran Khan appealed to his party workers in Lahore to end their sit-in protests. He said that the party would hold a full-fledged sit-in protest in Islamabad on May 24.
Speaking to media representatives at Lahore’s Shaukat Khanum Hospital, Imran Khan said the PTI workers would protest on May 24 in which he would also participate. He also said that they would hold a large demonstration in London as well.
He pressed the chief justice of Pakistan to take notice of the situation in Karachi where a party was trying to control people through harassment.
Imran also urged the chief election commissioner to accept the demand of recount in certain constituencies in order to restore the credibility of the ECP.