Federal Minister of Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique has urged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to change the date of his scheduled long march to Islamabad on August 14.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Saad Rafique said the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to 66 years. “It is not a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) event but a national event for Pakistan and it cannot be changed,” he added.
He said that Imran should not turn the celebrations into a day of agitation and urged him and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri to be careful of political leaders like Pervaiz Elahi and Sheikh Rashid.
In response to a statement that the PPP had allowed a similar march during their government, he said, “Independence Day celebrations have been celebrated before Imran Khan was born.”
Earlier, Khan had announced to launch a million-man long march on Islamabad on August 14 if the government failed to accept within a month his demands relating to rigging in last year’s general election.