Pakistan govt warns Imran Khan against holding Haqeeqi Azadi March, calls him a 'traitor'

The ruling coalition of Pakistan has recently called Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan a "traitor" and warned him against attacking the nation’s capital Islamabad. According to a Geo News report, during a meeting at the Prime Minister's House, which was chaired by PM Shehbaz Sharif, the ruling coalition urged the governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to refrain from acting as a "tool" in contributing to instability in the nation. The meeting attendees agreed that Imran Khan would not be permitted to attack Islamabad by going outside the boundaries of the Constitution and the law in response to his call for a long march toward the city.  

Earlier this week, ex-PM Imran Khan requested his party's leaders and members to take an oath that they would join in the long march deeming it a Jehad for the nation. He instructed his party workers to get ready for the "Haqeeqi Azadi March" in Islamabad. Imran Khan urged his supporters on Monday to be ready for the second large-scale demonstration later this week to demand that the National Assembly be dissolved and new elections are to be held in the nation.

As per Geo News, Imran Khan at the meeting was referred to as a "traitor, conspirator, and rioter" for "instigating state institutions to act against the Constitution." 

Furthermore, in an effort to put an end to Imran Khan's long march, Shehbaz Sharif's administration has also chosen to mobilise the army and station troops in the nation's capital. According to government sources cited by Dawn, the Pakistan Army will be stationed in the Red Zone of the capital city to prevent protestors' entry. 

Notably, Pakistan's Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah even stated that the cabinet agreed that PTI will never be permitted to enter Islamabad.  

Shehbaz Sharif called Imran Khan 'the biggest liar on the face of the earth'

After Imran Khan was ousted from office in the month of April, PM Shehbaz Sharif accused him of wrecking the nation's economy and dubbed him "the biggest liar on the face of the earth" for poisoning society to "dangerously polarise the electorate." Sharif highlighted the "damage" Khan, who governed Pakistan from 2018 to April of this year, has caused to the nation in both internal and international matters in an interview with The Guardian newspaper from Pakistan. 

Sharif charged Khan, who ran on an anti-corruption platform, of performing the nation’s affairs to suit his own personal agenda “in a manner which can be only described as the most inexperienced, self-centred, egotistical, immature politician in the history of this country.” 

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan is now experiencing an unprecedented economic downturn as it struggles to deal with rising inflation, excessive foreign debt, and diminishing foreign exchange reserves. In Pakistan, the devastating floods have caused more than 1,600 fatalities and more than 33 million displaced people.

(Image: AP) 

(With agencies inputs)