ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf announced Monday that the new date for its much talked about Islamabad sit-in is November 2.
Senior leaders of party met in the capital today to decide a new date for the party’s planned siege of Islamabad, which was earlier scheduled for October 30.
Speaking to reporters in Islamabad, Mr Khan said, “Why are we holding this protest? Because a prime minister has been caught doing corruption. What do we want? A resignation or an investigation… Nawaz Sharif should be held accountable like the prime minister of Iceland who was also named in the Panama Papers.”
Earlier, PTI vice-chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi said: “Certainly, decision has been taken to change the earlier date of Oct 30, and the new one will be announced after the Monday’s meeting.”
The reason behind the change of the plan, Mr Qureshi had explained, was primarily due to the annual election of the Supreme Court Bar Association scheduled to be held on Oct 31. He said the PTI leadership had been conveyed the concern of lawyers that the planned siege of the capital on Oct 30 could disturb their election.
“Of course, the concern expressed by the lawyers’ leadership makes sense, and we have decided to change the date,” Mr Qureshi had said.
In reply to a question about the new date, he said: “I think it will be after the SCBA elections.” He said that since there had been a widespread criticism of the PTI’s decision to shut down Islamabad during the weekend, “there is a big chance that our new date will fall on a working day”.
PTI chairman Imran Khan had announced the plan to lay siege to Islamabad as part of the party’s accountability movement against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and members of his family in the wake of the Panama Papers leaks.
A PTI source had also said the party leadership will also discuss measures to make the event a ‘great success’ during today’s meeting.
Mr Qureshi said it could be T20, one day or five-day test match, and if the government didn’t behave, “we are even ready for a tournament”. “Other political parties in particular and the masses in general must understand that the accountability movement is not for the removal of the prime minister or power grab by the PTI, but to bring the former to the dock,” he said. —INP