Imran Khan’s Ongoing Anti-Govt Protests Demand Pakistan Referendum

Sept. 30 2014 (TSR) – The famous Iqbal Park of Punjab’s capital Lahore was filled to capacity on Sunday with hundreds of thousands of activists and supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-I-Insaaf (PTI) demanding the downfall Sharif’s led government in Pakistan and the immediate release of Dr. Afia Siddiqui from United States.

The mass rally comes after the PTI Chairman and cricketer turned Pakistani politician Mr. Imran Khan (62) called on his supporters and the Pakistani people to continue the second phase of their peaceful revolution until the government bows to their demands.

The escalation of revolutionary activities follows the Pakistani Prime Minister Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif’s refusal to meet the demands of Imran Khan, who held two big rallies in Islamabad and Lahore earlier some months demanding for a recount of votes in four constituencies where he claimed May 2013 elections were rigged.

The PTI chief again alleged that the returning officers had played the main role in rigging the elections, and mastermind of it was former chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. He urged the last general elections be null and void, saying that his claims about rigging have been proved after the issuance of a report by the Election Commission of Pakistan in which it has accepted that polling stations’ schemes were changed at the eleventh hour in the May 2013 elections in favour of the PML-N and ballot papers were printed in five divisions of Punjab illegally.

Imran claimed that the computer system given by the UNDP was shut down by the ECP “for rigging manually in results”. He demanded the ECP upload Form XIV on its website. He quoted former NADRA chief Tariq Malik saying that the whole system was deliberately sabotaged to hide rigging. Terming his Lahore rally a “referendum” against the government he said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should delay his resignation so that PTI’s movement can have enough time to penetrate every house. He said that the members of the Sharif family are confronted with the “Go Nawaz Go” slogan wherever they go.

Imran said the Supreme Court would take up Ishaq Khakwani’s petition seeking disqualification of Nawaz Sharif “for lying”. He said that Nawaz Sharif has not shown himself to be a truthful man and lied to the nation about his 10-year exile agreement with the Pervez Musharraf regime, in the case of getting money from the ISI and in the Mehran Bank case. The PTI chief said he had protested when former president Asif Ali Zardari had assumed the presidential post. He said he was the first one to take to streets to raise voice for the missing persons’ plight, for Dr Aafia Siddiqui and American attack on Iraq in 2003.

The demonstrations have remained fairly peaceful so far; however, many are in fear of a looming civil war if both sides fail to come to terms soon. The second phase of this revolution, according PTI chief, will continue throughout the country until the Prime Minister of Pakistan steps down.

Addressing the massive rally on historic Minar-I-Pakistan where Pakistan resolution was passed in 1940, Mr Khan said he will keep holding rallies in different parts of the country and will return to his sit-in in the federal capital in the evening. Mr Khan said the Pakistan Resolution was passed at this venue on March 23, 1940, and now people would pass a “New Pakistan Resolution” on Sept 28.

Imran announced the three main things as priority in his “New Pakistan” – justice, uniform syllabus of education and equality – after coming to power. “Your problems are mine and your happiness is mine,” the PTI chief said. He asked his supporters to promise to fight injustice and oppression, become true and fearless in all aspects of life. The PTI chief was addressing by far the biggest rally in the country’s cultural capital in living memory. Lahore is also Prime Minister Sharif’s home base.

He also announced tsunami against massive power shortfall in the country.

Imran stated that all the political parties are in cahoots “to protect the looted money” and not democracy. Both Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari were deceiving the people of Pakistan together.

Mr. Khan told the roaring 100,000 crowd that he struggled whole his life and had not “grown politically in any military nursery” nor had the backing of the US but that he had achieved everything on his own. 

 Khan said he was not getting any guidelines from power corridors, unlike Nawaz Sharif who was brought up on the shoulders of General Jilani and General Ziaul Haq.Haq,” a former military dictator who introduced Jihad in Pakistan.

Imran stated that he did not get US help to come to power because he was sure that in that case he would not be able to change the status quo which was not delivering to the 110 million poor people of Pakistan. Imran again called upon the people not to pay their electricity bills, saying he has done the same. He warned the nation that the government was going to enhance the tariff of electricity within two months despite having hiked it by 80 percent since coming into power about a year and half ago.

Mr. Khan lashed out on Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and called him a peanut of military.

Khan dispelled the impression that he has been staging a sit-in on ‘someone’s’ directions.

Imran claims they have established a world record by staging a sit-in for 45 consecutive days.

In his speech Mr. Khan said that if he comes to power he will collect 6000-8000 billion through taxes. He urged Prime Minister of Pakistan to resign and go home. In the meantime Imran Khan said he will continue to stage sit-in protests until Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif resigns.

Chairman PTI Mr. Imran Khan told the masses that he had come on streets after realizing that Pakistan does not have a system to deliver justice. In his speech, Mr. Khan also raised his voice against extra judicial killings and illegal abductions in Pakistan’s south western province of Balochistan.

He also demanded from the United States to release Dr Aafia Siddiqui immediately. On the occasion, Imran Khan said that his party would continue their efforts for the release of Dr Aafia.

Mr. Khan said that his party is not against any country but oppose polices.

Khan said he was impressed with the people of United Kingdom when hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of London to voice their opposition to military action against Iraq. He said he witnessed it was the UK’s biggest ever demonstration with at least 750,000 taking part, although organizers put the figure closer to two million.

In the same token, he urged the people of Pakistan to come on roads and protests for their own rights.

If civilians in UK can protests for other rights then why we can’t do for our own rights, he added.

Diplomats in Islamabad feared about the stability of Pakistan and believe that a battle for survival is consuming Mr. Sharif’s government, sinking his economic-revival program and hopes of forging peace with traditional foe, India.

Mr. Khan and Muslim cleric Tahir ul Qadri, whose supporters are staging a parallel sit-in protest, are demanding Mr. Sharif’s resignation. Government aides say they believe that the demonstrations are secretly backed by the military and its spy agencies.

The prime minister has clashed with the armed forces over a range of issues in recent months.

Context

Anti-government protests in Pakistan have entered its 6^th week, since thousands of people massed in the capital Islamabad on August 14th.

Opposition and ruling parties in Pakistan have too launched their own campaign, in support of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The leaders of major opposition parties in Pakistan say the government is democratically elected by the people, and they will defend it against the mass demonstrations launched by two right wing parties The Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT). The anti-government protesters have blocked country’s highly sensitive area ‘The red Zone’ and has paralyzed the life of the city.

Thousands of people continue to hold sit ins from August 14 last month in Islamabad. Among the protesters are activists who have been sitting before National Assembly of Pakistan as well as Prime Minister house where residents of Islamabad and its adjoining district Rawalpindi who came there to support them, Santos Republic observed.

The protesters have been demanding the resignation of current Prime Minister Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif and an independence election, saying that they will be taking their stand “until the end.”

As protesters continued to camp outside the National Assembly of Pakistan in Islamabad, residents are providing protesters with food and water, while protest leader and cricketer turned Pakistani politician Mr. Imran Khan told that he would continue his anti government protests until Prime Minister steps down from his position.

Mr. Sharif has refused to meet the protesters’ demands to step down and hand over power to an unelected council.

However, Sharif has vowed to meet other five demands put forward by Pakistani cricketer turned politician Imran Khan which includes Re-elections in four constituencies, Electoral reforms in the country, An impartial interim government be formed through consensus among political parties, All the members of Election Commission of Pakistan tender resignations and Article 6 the constitution be invoked against those involved in the ‘rigging’ of May 2013 elections and awarded punishments if proved.

Leaders of the right wing parties say October this year will be their “victory month,” and are calling on followers to continue their sit-in in Islamabad to await third empire decision.

It is important to note that Pakistan is the bane for US-Zionist political interests and a vital staging ground of the Great Game, the bid to harness South Asia’s mass consumer and labor markets and Central Asia’s fabulous stores of gas and mineral wealth. Nawaz Sharif’s widely questioned “electoral victory” in the May 11 elections is overshadowed by his subservience to US-Saudi interests. With a bankrupt economy, he is even more vulnerable to external manipulation, one that he seems eager to comply with as explained in an op-ed here.

Who is behind the political turmoil in Pakistan?

It is still unclear who is behind the powerful anti government protests in Pakistan, however, a top official in bureaucracy wishing not to be named said there were two powerful forces with palace connections, one a top military official from inter service intelligence (ISI) having a deep rivalry with the Sharif family supporting the Pakistani turned politician Mr. Imran Khan and British intelligence agency MI6 IS supporting the religious cleric Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadrthe in order to pave way for a Shiites-Bralvi alliance in Pakistan where Sunni majority rules.

The top bureaucrat having direct knowledge of the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the cricketer turned politician Imran Khan, who is leading anti-Sharif protests along with religious cleric Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri are being supported in some or other way by Pakistani military for Sharif government’s rigid stance toward former Military ruler General Retired Perviz Musharraf. However, a senior party leader of Mr. Khan Shah Mehmood Quereshi turned the rumors “unfounded and unfortunate.” The military also denied involvement in the political crisis.

Although the military has denied involvement in the crisis several times, the neutrality of Pakistani military still remains a question as it still exercises its influence in a powerful and highly politicized military that has played a key role in a country that has seen four successful or attempted coups in the past 67 years since country’s emergence.

Political analysts in Pakistan say military’s role and army chief’s meetings with government as well as protesters in the ongoing crisis clearly indicate a tilt toward the dissenters.

 

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Lady Michelle-Jennifer Santos also contributed to this article.

Mr. Kiyya Qadir Baloch is a TSR Correspondent based in Pakistan and reports on foreign affairs, Baloch insurgency, militancy and sectarian violence in Balochistan. He has also worked as a journalist for leading Pakistani liberal newspaper ‘Daily Times’ for two years in Islamabad and freelanced for various national and international media outlets. He can be reached at [email protected] or follow him on twitter @KiyyaBaloch.