Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Jan of the Pakistan Tehrik e Insaf (PTI) party said Wednesday that his protest will not end once he arrives in Islamabad along with hundreds of supporters and threatened to extend the protests for ten months until general elections are held.
In a speech to his supporters, he defended that both he and his followers are «human» and not «animals that are going to let criminals rule them». Thus, he affirmed that the march, which began six days ago and with which he intends to achieve the calling of early elections, will have a continuation.
Jan has stressed that «he will not accept the current government under any circumstances» and has defended that «he would rather die than kneel before the thieves» who occupy the highest positions in the country, according to information gathered by the newspaper ‘Dawn’.
For him, these «thieves» suffer no punishment because they benefit from the «impunity» offered by the «protection of hidden hands». «If you don’t stand up for your rights you will never have justice,» he said before urging the population to take to the streets.
«You all have to support me. I will tell everyone that it is better to die than to become a slave,» he has maintained. He also addressed the government, which he called again to request the calling of elections: «if you are really neutral, call free and fair elections».
This is the second march organized by Jan this year. The first was held at the end of May, but ended once the demonstrators reached Islamabad’s Red Zone, where the main government buildings are located.
Jan became in April the first Pakistani leader to be ousted in a no-confidence motion. Before the vote, the Speaker of Parliament, Asad Qaiser, had already resigned.
His departure from office was followed by a growing political tension marked by scandals of transfugism and mass protests for and against the prime minister, denounced by the opposition alliance of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) as a «puppet» of the army. The Armed Forces are considered to be the most powerful force in Pakistan since its independence from the British Raj in 1947.
Jan was disqualified in late October by the election commission for failing to declare money from the sale of gifts and presents received from international leaders when he was head of the government. He is scheduled to testify before the judge on November 11.
