“After a mega public gathering in Lahore on Sunday, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf is planning to take the dharna to Sargodha, Gujranwala, Sahiwal and then Multan,” PTI Punjab president Ejaz Chaudhry told The Express Tribune on Wednesday.
A chain of protests has been planned for the Punjab, he said. They will take place alongside the dharna in Islamabad. “We won’t back down till the prime minister resigns,” Chaudhry said.
He said PTI chairman Imran Khan will address the demonstrations planned all over the Punjab in the coming weeks.
The Azadi March will meet its logical end, he said, “We are nearing a successful conclusion”.
He said the Azadi March had raised awareness regarding people’s rights and had exposed the present government’s wrongdoings.
“We want every citizen of this country to believe that they can be agents of change. I hope the people of Lahore extend a warm welcome to Khan on September 28,” Chaudhry said.
He said the party had constituted several committees to carry out a door-to-door mass mobilisation campaign.
The movement that began on August 14 has now become an important chapter in this country’s history, he said. The PTI has held peaceful protests for 42 days and Sunday’s gathering will prove to be the final nail in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz led government’s coffin, Chaudhry said.
“A new Pakistan, envisioned by Allama Iqbal, Quaid-i-Azam and our founding fathers is a reality not far away,” he said.
“Ever since the Azadi March began, several prominent politicians, even from among the government, have approached us asking to join PTI,” Chaudhry said. Many of them will announce their decisions after the demonstration on Sunday, he said. Some prominent political families from central Punjab and Faisalabad will be welcomed into the PTI.
He said the PTI had directed its town and union council committees to visit every household in their areas and spread the message of change.
“We are expecting crowds of more than 400,000 people in Punjab,” he said. All office bearers have been assigned duties to ensure maximum participation in their areas.
Chaudhry said Khan would address the gathering in Lahore after sunset. He requested people to gather at the Minar-i-Pakistan at around 3pm.
“This will be the largest gathering in the history of the city,” Chaudhry said.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 25th, 2014.