ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has called a ‘long march’ to the capital, Islamabad, on Nov. 24 over alleged rigging in Feb. 8 general elections and to call for the release of political prisoners and the independence of the judiciary, the jailed leader’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said on Wednesday.
Khan has been in jail since August 2023 and has faced dozens of cases since he was removed as prime minister in 2022 after which he launched a protest movement against a coalition of his rivals led by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and backed by the all-powerful military, which denies interfering in politics.
Khan says cases against him, which disqualified him from contesting the February elections, are politically motivated.
“Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf announcing long march on 24 November, toward Islamabad with 3 basic demands,” the party said in a statement to reporters.
The PTI’s first demand is a rollback of recent constitutional amendments like the 26th amendment that the PTI says is an attempt to curtail the independence of the senior judiciary.
“Release of party leadership and workers,” the PTI said. “Return of stolen mandate, 2024 election by far, the most controversial and farce election.”
Speaking in Lahore, Khan’s sister Aleema Khan also announced the protest call.
“Today you will have to decide if we want to live in martial law or in freedom,” Aleema said. “And on Nov. 24, Imran Khan has today [Wednesday] asked a call for Islamabad.”
Pakistan’s government denies being unfair in Khan’s treatment and its election commission denies the elections were rigged. The government also says the amendments related to the judiciary are meant to smooth out its functioning and tackle a backlog of cases.
