ISLAMABAD: While Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is busy in his effort to convince his elder brother and party Quaid Nawaz Sharif over the next army chief, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) caravans are heading towards federal capital with huge number of party workers from various locations of the country.
This time around, the PTI may also find it easy to storm the capital as PML-N’s ‘trump card’ – Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah – is hospitalised with heart ailment.
The PTI announced that though its chief Imran Khan was nursing his wounds in his Lahore residence after a failed assassination attempt at his life, various party leaders would be leading caravans from various locations simultaneous towards federal capital.
According to the issued tweet, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi is leading the march and is in Lala Musa right now. Qureshi has already been joined in by party’s Sindh chapter president Ali Zaidi who led a caravan from Sindh.
Party’s another leader, Haleem Adil Sheikh is leading another caravan from interior Sindh and would be joining Qureshi’s main caravan later next week.
Anther major convoy is led by Asad Umar who stated from Toba Tek Singh and now has reached Jhang. The caravan will reach Rawalpindi after passing through Faisalabad and Sargodha. PTI General Secretary Asad Umar has reached Shorkot in Jhang district leading the long march rally.
But PTI’s biggest show would arrive in Rawalpindi from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – the bastion of the PTI. Three major caravans from various parts of KP would arrive Rawalpindi where Imran Khan would receive them.
PTI general secretary KP Ali Amin Gandapur would lead a caravan from southern districts including North and South Wazirisatn, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki Marwat etc.
Shehryar Khan Afridi would lead a caravan from Parachanar, Kurram Agency, Darra Adamkhel and Kohat districts.
Asad Qaisar and Murad Saeed would lead a rally from Peshawar while Pervez Khattak would lead a rally from Hazara Division. All caravans from KP would converge on Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway and then would lead towards Rawalpindi.
Qasim Khan Suri would be leading a rally from Balochistan and he would directly arrive Rawalpindi.
PTI Azad Kashmir rally would be lead by AJK Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas who is set to join the marchers in Rawalpindi while Chief Minister Khalid Khursheed Khan would lead a rally from Gilgit Baltistan.
PTI’s official Twitter account shared photographs of Asad Umar and Qureshi interacting with supporters there who addressed huge rallies on their way. PTI leader Asad Umar has said the “Haqeeqi Azadi” is not just former prime minister Imran Khan’s “war” and that the “people of the country are also an equal part of it.”
Addressing a rally in Jhang, the ex-planning minister urged the supporters of Imran to stand by their party leader during the current struggle. During his speech in Jhang, Asad Umar stated that Imran Khan believes the next COAS should be appointed based on merit.
Further, he slammed the PML-N leaders “sitting in London, making decisions for Pakistan”. Referring to Nawaz Sharif, he said that the leaders were seeking advice from “a thief who fled the country”.
Responding to a question, Asad said that the PTI had not “started a war to come into power”, and highlighted the party’s successes including the victory by a great lead in the Punjab elections on July 15.
Qureshi has addressed massive gatherings in Gujrat and Lala Musa which reflect that the people are joining the PTI long march in massive numbers. While federal government is absent from the scene, it would be anybody’s guess who would handle the marchers if they gathered in Rawalpindi in massive numbers.
