Imran Khan, former prime minister and current chairman of the PTI, has stated that his party’s eagerly anticipated long march to Islamabad will start on Friday from Lahore.
“I’m starting the arduous march from Lahore,” the PTI leader stated during a news conference in Lahore on Tuesday. He further added that the participants will assemble at Liberty Chowk at 11 p.m. on Friday and march toward Islamabad.
“I’m announcing that the long march will start on Friday from Liberty Chowk”-@ImranKhanPTI pic.twitter.com/LdxTcxPs6G
— PTI (@PTIofficial) October 25, 2022
Imran, who was ousted from office in April of this year following a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly, stated that the goal of his long march is to bring about “true freedom” in the nation. He added that his protest rally is not about politics but rather a fight for liberation from thieves.
“This Jihad will define the direction of the country,” he continued.
Imran last Saturday stated that he will unveil the date of the party’s highly anticipated long march on the following Friday, stating that he was not anticipating any “significant result from backchannel talks.”
Imran increased the suspense when he revealed that the long march’s final date would be announced on October 28 and warned that the ‘organised protest’ could degenerate into chaos if the government tried to stop it.
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Imran has been steadily building momentum for the long march but has kept people guessing about its specifics.
“Political parties frequently engage in secret negotiations,” said the PTI chairman, who was joined by Azam Swati. He stated that he did not believe the current negotiations would result in any substantive progress.
He claimed that the significance of the talks only extended to the possibility of early elections, but it appeared that the current authorities would not announce early elections.