- Says 100-150 workers and leaders courted arrest 80% of whom seeking release
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Sunday claimed that PTI’s “Jail Bharo movement” had totally flopped and even the party’s leaders and workers were trying to disassociate themselves from the drive, saying between 100 to 150 people had been arrested until now and subsequently jailed for 30 days “as par their wish.”
Sanaullah alleged that Imran was “spreading instability in the country” and called the ‘Jail Bharo’ movement a “big walk of shame”.
“The government will first send Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders and workers – who voluntarily offered arrests to far-off prisons before sending them to prisons in Lahore or Rawalpindi”, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said while speaking at a press conference in Islamabad here on Sunday.
The minister claimed said that “eighty percent of the arrested ones are asking to be released,” revealing that all participants of the PTI’s drive had been taken into custody for 30 days.
Sanaullah alleged that Imran was “spreading instability in the country” and called the ‘Jail Bharo’ movement a “big walk of shame”.
It is to be noted that the PTI has launched “Jail Bharo” movement — a drive that seeks to mark a protest against the government’s policies and to put pressure on the ruling coalition to announce elections.
“You wished to go to jail, so you have been sent there,” he said mockingly, “we are having you visit jails so that you can acquaint yourselves with the conditions there”.
It may be noted that several petitions have been filed at the Lahore High Court (LHC), expressing fears that the arrested PTI leaders and workers may be falsely accused of involvement in unlawful activities to cause them “maximum harm”, adding that they have been transported to “some unknown place” to “torture” them.
Without referring to the matter that remains subjudice, Sanaullah said “we will first fill jails in far-off areas and afterward fill the jails of Lahore and Rawalpindi”.
“We hold the judiciary in utmost respect and regard,” he added as he stressed that “weakening” the judiciary would be synonymous with “increasing the difficulties of the country”.
However, the interior minister simultaneously stressed that “bench-fixing” allegations must be probed, hinting at a series of controversial audio leaks attributed to former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi.
Sanaullah urged the apex court to take suo motu notice over the alleged close ties that Elahi maintains with a Supreme Court judge.
Turning his attention towards former premier Imran Khan, he said that “he is a trouble-maker, and never once did something for the betterment of the country.
He noted that first Imran was bringing a sea of people to tread on the capital, then he said he was going to fill the jails, “but now the people know him for what he is”.
Earlier, the Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that “Jail Bharo” movement of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had totally flopped and even the PTI leaders and workers were trying to disassociate themselves from the drive.
Talking to the media at the residence of local PML-N leader Kashif Nawaz Randhawa, he said that politics of PTI was full of blunders. He said that Imran Khan did not take any single laudable step during his political career and wasted the time of people.
“Imran Khan claimed to organize million march followed by another gimmicks which all proved in vain” he said and added ultimate objective of Imran was to create political and economic instability in the country.
About attack on Imran Khan, he said that investigation revealed that it was not an organized attack and the attacker was alone. To another question, he said that various surveys revealed that PML-N was leading political party of Punjab.
About issuance of party tickets, he said that parliamentary board of the party would decide to award tickets to the candidates.
Earlier, Rana Sanaullah condoled with Kashif Nawaz Randhawa over the demise of his mother.
