LAHORE: Amid the ongoing judiciary-executive tussle, PTI Chairman Imran Khan has made an impassioned appeal to the whole nation to come out of their homes on Saturday (today) to give a message to the ruling coalition, “its handlers” and state institutions that no one will tolerate violation of the Constitution and defiance of the Supreme Court’s order regarding holding of elections in Punjab on May 14.

Addressing the nation through a video link from his Zaman Park residence on Friday, the former prime minister said Pakistan was at its most sensitive juncture and the whole nation needed to get united to fight against “the mafia” to ensure that people get their fundamental rights.

He announced that the PTI would hold four rallies in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Peshawar on Saturday evening simultaneously to express solidarity with the Constitution, Supreme Court and chief justice of Pakistan.

Stating that he would himself lead the rally in Lahore (from Zaman Park to Lakshami Chowk), Mr Khan urged people across the country to come out of their homes at 5.30pm on Saturday and gather at designated places to tell the rulers and their handlers that they would not be allowed to flout the Constitution and usurp citizens’ fundamental rights.

Says people won’t allow rulers to defy SC order on Punjab polls

He said the PDM government had now made it clear that it was not ready to hold elections in Punjab on May 14, which would be a gross violation of the Constitution.

The former prime minister said the incumbent government had imposed the “might is right” law, adding that the judiciary was the last hope for the people of Pakistan.

Claiming that some 0.9 million people had already left the country, he said those who would live in this country must rise and defeat the “mafia sucking their resources and rights”.

The PTI chief said the government functionaries had launched a tirade against the judges for giving the May 14 election date and recalled how the Supreme Court was opened at midnight to take suo motu notice against his decision to dissolve the National Assembly and paved the way for Shehbaz Sharif to become prime minister. Despite that, he added, he never said anything against the judges.

On the other hand, he said, the same judges were being criticised by the PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement) for acting within the ambit of the Constitution.

He alleged that the Sharif and Zardari families looted the country, shattered its economy and pushed people to face the cruelty of price hikes.

He added that Pakistan’s economy was growing in a robust manner and dollars inflow had increased, but then the economy shattered “in the absence of political stability because the incumbent government did not call elections despite commitments”.

Running video clips of several PDM leaders, Mr Khan said they were saying that the PTI should dissolve assemblies to get elections. “When the PTI dissolved Punjab and KP assemblies, the PDM government was crying that elections could not be held because the government had no funds and that there were security concerns,” he added.

The PTI chief said the government was now saying that it could hold elections in October, but not explaining what was its plan. “The government should explain its game plan that how it will be able to turn around the current situation by October,” he said.

Mr Khan said the PDM government was actually afraid of going to the polls because it could not face the people and had plans to crush the PTI and incarcerate him to get an open field in elections. “What if the government could not crush the PTI this year?”

He said the caretaker governments in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had completed their constitutional terms and needed to be demolished.

Meanwhile, a PTI delegation from Sindh called on party chief Imran Khan and briefed him on the “police excesses against PTI leaders and workers”, as well as the usurpation of fundamental rights of people at large.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2023