-Govt officially issues advisory on potential threat to PTI rally
-Urges Imran to postpone movement, return to Parliament
-Khan’s Chopper to land at Parade Ground, Asad Umar challenges Islamabad admin
LAHORE: PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry Friday said former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s health was improving and he will reach Rawalpindi from Lahore today.
“Imran Khan’s health is better. Braces have been placed on his leg,” Chaudhry said speaking with journalists at Zaman Park in Lahore.
Commenting on Khan joining PTI’s rally despite the government’s warning regarding terror threats, the former minister said: “Imran Khan would reach Rawalpindi leaving behind all the risks. He has stepped out for the rights of people. The struggle for true freedom will reach its logical conclusion.”
Chaudhry added that the PTI chief will announce the party’s future plan in Rawalpindi. The PTI leader criticised the government and Interior Minister Rana Sanuallah for issuing threat warnings ahead of the march.
“Even today, the government said that there are threats to Imran Khan’s life,” Chaudhry said demanding Rana Sanaullah to resign if he can’t assure safety.
After being denied permission to use Islamabad’s Parade Ground as a helipad, PTI Secretary General Asad Umar challenged the capital administration, claiming that his party chairman Imran Khan’s helicopter will land on the same ground on November 26.
Earlier, Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi announced that PTI Chairperson Imran Khan’s helicopter will land at Barani University.
Umar said that a drama is being staged deliberately. He maintained that the General Headquarters (GHQ) formally informed the PTI that it has no objection to the landing of Imran Khan’s helicopter at the Parade Ground but the Islamabad’s administering is denying permission. “Islamabad’s Deputy Commissioner is deliberately endangering the life of Imran Khan,” warned the PTI leader.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah in a press conference raised serious security concerns on Friday ahead of PTI today’s rally in Rawalpindi.
Earlier in the day, the interior minister had chaired a special meeting ahead of the PTI’s long march toward the capital demanding early elections.
The minister had stressed that “it is the constitutional responsibility of the provincial governments to stop a political party from illegally treading onto the federal capital”.
“Chief secretaries should ensure that no government employee becomes part of any initiative or plan to attack the federation,” he had added.
Advising PTI chief Imran Khan to postpone the march while speaking to journalists, the minister said that “all the intelligence agencies have put a red alert for the long march in the city”.
“Your own life is also under threat,” he stressed as he addressed Imran and hinted at a possible attack from banned militant outfits.
Elaborating on his comments the minister said that “all the Al Qaeda needs to do is find an agent who would be willing to carry out an attack. Do you think that would be something they find difficult to do?”
“There are those who are interested in causing anarchy and inducing conflict,” he added. “They want that we engage in in-fighting and kill each other. Is it not the perfect opportunity for such elements when a politician has himself named rivals in an FIR about his murder in his own lifetime so that the blame would automatically be shifted to them?”
Sanaullah assured the conference that he has instructed the police and other law enforcing agencies to ensure strict security at all the entry and exit points of rally venue because of the red alert.
“I have spoken to the Punjab chief secretary and inspector general (IG) in detail to ensure that all four sides of the stage are safe and every attendee can only enter after a body search.
““The stage should be kept bulletproof at every cost,” he said while adding that access to the stage should be restricted because “if 200 people are standing atop it then who knows who did what”.
The minister also revealed that he has shared a letter with the party’s secretary general, Asad Umar, adding that if the PTI wished to verify the claims, it was welcome to “sit with the agency representatives and see for themselves”.
“We have told them after conducting all these meetings that these are the threats,” he added, saying that he has instructed the administrations to take full responsibility and maintain strict security regardless.
“We have permitted them to take whatever route they have requested,” he said, rejecting rumors that the capital was being blocked off with containers.
Nonetheless, he stressed that “the solution to his [Imran’s] problem is to return to parliament” as he maintained that the only way matters could progress is if all politicians come together to end the “deadlock”.
“There is no purpose for this long march now. You say that you are coming to Rawalpindi for an election date. Imran Khan, you won’t get a date for elections now,” said Sanaullah.
Discouraging supporters from joining the rally, the minister said that this was not a call for “Haqeeqi Azadi but to create instability in the country”. –Agencies
