Tag: PTI protest

  • Aleema Khanum slams party leaders for leaving workers in the dark

    Aleema Khanum slams party leaders for leaving workers in the dark

    Aleema Khanum, sister of the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan, criticised party leadership over the lack of proper guidance and absence of instructions to party followers during the recent protest at the federal capital.

    Aleema Khanum, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), asked, “Why was the sound and light on the container shut early evening [on November 26]?

    She complained that due to the absence of a sound system and lighting, “no instructions” were issued or guidance provided to the public in “complete darkness.”

    “We pleaded all evening for the lights and sound on the container to be turned on, but there was no response from those giving directions,” former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khanum said.

    However, she was not the only one who had complained about the lack of professional approach of party leadership; PTI leader Shaukat Yousafzai also pointed out the absence of coordination among the party leadership during the recent protest march.

    Speaking to Geo News on Tuesday night, Shaukat Yousafzai emphasised, “Authority position holders have disappointed us.”

    Yousafzai asked why the federal government’s offer for negotiations was not pursued? and why there was no consultation on the government’s proposal for talks?


    Meanwhile, Attaullah Tarar, Minister for Federal Information and Broadcasting, on Wednesday stated that security forces had not used the weapon against demonstrators on Tuesday night, noting, “During PTI protest, government property was damaged.”

    Rejecting the claims that more than 30 individuals had died in clashes between security forces in recent nights, he maintained that some people want to do politics on dead people without having “evidence.”

    It should be noted here that following the Islamabad Police grand operation against PTI workers, the PTI founder’s wife, Bushra Bibi, KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur, and other PTI leaders and workers had managed to escape the federal capital.

  • What was said in ‘strict message’ sent to Imran Khan? Muneeb Farooq has the details

    What was said in ‘strict message’ sent to Imran Khan? Muneeb Farooq has the details

    Senior journalist Muneeb Farooq on Monday revealed that a strict message was sent through Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership to incarcerated party founder Imran Khan regarding the party’s ongoing violent protest.

    Muneeb Farooq, on his YouTube channel, stated that the party founder had been told to behave or face repercussions for altercations with law enforcement. 

    On Monday night, Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, along with former speaker of the  National Assembly Asad Qaiser and Shibli Faraz, met the party founder in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi to discuss the next strategy as the protest goes on. 


    “Don’t listen to Bushra Bibi’s directions [on protest],” the journalist quoted the strict message that had also been conveyed to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders on November 25.

    The political analyst further stated that both the establishment and the federal government had refused to accept PTI’s three demands.

    PTI demanded the revocation of the recently passed 26th Constitutional Amendment and the release of political prisoners, including Imran Khan, and the restoration of PTI’s electoral mandate.

    Last night, Naqvi seemed to confirm talks with the protesting opposition party, saying that the government had offered the Sangjani area for protest; however, reportedly, consensus was not reached between the government and Pakistan’s biggest opposition party.

    The Sangjani was the same venue on the outskirts of the federal capital where the PTI held its Sept 8 rally.

    Meanwhile, multiple PTI demonstrators have reached Islamabad’s roundabout D Chowk, and it can be seen that party followers are embracing security officials at the top containers of D Chowk in social media posts.

    However, the PTI convoy led by Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur and Imran Khan’s spouse Bushra Bibi crossed the federal capital Blue Area and was only a few Kilometers (KM) short of reaching D Chowk.

    Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar has said that former First Lady Bushra Bibi was dead set on getting people killed.

    Tarar alleged that Bushra Bibi used others’ children as pawns, noting, “There is still time to stop and go back.”

  • ‘PTI leaders powerless in front of party’s secret leadership,’ claims Mohsin Naqvi

    ‘PTI leaders powerless in front of party’s secret leadership,’ claims Mohsin Naqvi

    Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi Tuesday said that “secret leadership” of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was controlling everything, leaving other party leaders “powerless”.

    Speaking to media as PTI convoys continue to advance towards D-Chowk after violent overnight clashes, the interior minister said that party leaders did not want bloodshed but they were powerless in front of a “secret leadership” that actually had control over the party.

    “Even the PTI leadership does not want bloodshed, but the secret leadership’s agenda is not aligned with Pakistan,” Mohsin Naqvi said, adding that a “hidden hand” was involved in the unrest.

    “The PTI leadership wanted to engage in dialogue, but the secret leadership did not want it,” he said.

    When asked about the number of participants in PTI’s protest rally, the interior minister said that it was difficult to give an exact figure; however, “2,000 of the total number of protesters were trained individuals”.

    The interior minister’s presser comes as PTI refuses to participate in talks with the government and protest at D-Chowk till party founder and former prime minister (PM) Imran Khan is released from jail. Violent clashes over the past two days have resulted in injuries to hundreds of protesters and cops alike. At least four Rangers personnel and two cops were also martyred in the clashes Monday night.

    Meanwhile, a case against PTI leadership has been registered at a Rawalpindi police station over the death of a police constable near Hakla Interchange.

    According to a First Information Report (FIR) filed at Taxila Police Station, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Ali Amin Gandapur, Salar Khan Kakar, Shahid Khattak and others were nominated.

    Assaulters, armed with tear gas guns, rubber bullet guns and other weapons violated Section 144 and initiated violent attacks on police officers, the FIR read.

    It further stated that the attack was a “deliberate criminal conspiracy orchestrated by the PTI leadership”.

    “Suspects abducted Constable Mubashir Hassan in a red van and later dumped him off Hakla Bridge before fleeing,” the FIR added.

  • ‘No breakfast, no rest’: Sindh cop deployed at Islamabad

    ‘No breakfast, no rest’: Sindh cop deployed at Islamabad

    A Sindh police personnel has complained about the inadequacy of food that had been served to provincial police during their deployment at the federal capital amid a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest.

    Speaking to a news outlet on Monday night, a Sindh security official said that authorities have not given them time for the proper rest, maintaining that they have been “on duty for two consecutive days.”

    “We are tired of doing duty since two days, we have no [additional] salary, [authorities] are not giving us breakfast,” the cop belonging to district Noshehra, Sindh, said.

    He further said that due to lack of a timely salary, he has borrowed money from his village, and he is in “debt” now.

    He also highlighted that two days ago, 2000 security officials came to the federal capital via train; apart from Karachi cops, other security officials travelled without having a seat, noting that the long expedition was tough as they had to stand throughout their journey.

    “Cops belonging to Karachi had a seat; we had to stand by the [train] door,” he complained.

    Observing the facilities given by the authorities, he stated that “proper water” was not served to the cops, adding, “We are purchasing tea by ourselves.”

    Meanwhile, in a separate development, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf convoy led by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and former First Lady Bushra Bibi has reached Islamabad Zero Point.

    It merits mentioning that following the federal capital’s Zero Point area, D Chowk is just a few kilometers away from where PTI is expected to stage a sit-in.

    Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, while speaking to the media at D Chowk on Tuesday, stated that around 2000 people in the PTI convoy were “trained.”

    The Interior Minister pointed out that the “secret leadership” of PTI is controlling everything, leaving the rest of the leadership powerless.

    “Even the PTI leadership does not want bloodshed, but the secret leadership’s agenda is not aligned with Pakistan,” he concluded.

  • PTI marches on Islamabad as govt gears up to quash ‘decisive’ protest

    PTI marches on Islamabad as govt gears up to quash ‘decisive’ protest

    Scores of workers and leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) are headed to Islamabad for the party’s much-hyped and “decisive” protest to seek the release of party founder Imran Khan, as the government gears up to quash the powershow. 

    Khan had on November 13 issued a “final call” for nationwide protests on Nov 24 (today), denouncing the “stolen mandate” of his party, unjust arrests of PTI workers and the 26th Constitutional Amendment by the “dictatorial regime”.

    With party leadership urging workers and supporters to join the march on the federal capital, thousands gathered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) — where PTI is in power — in the days leading to Nov 24 (Sunday) despite the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declaring the planned protest as unlawful.

    The court had also directed authorities to take all necessary measures to maintain law and order, prompting the federal government to seal the capital city and partially suspend mobile and internet services in major parts of the country. Intra-city road networks have also been shut down besides the closure of public transport and student hostels in Islamabad and parts of Punjab.

    However, PTI convoys from KP left for Islamabad early Sunday morning. MPAs and MNAs of their respective constituencies are leading their convoys and would join the rallies at Burhan near Hazara interchange, reports said.

    Heavy contingents of police and Rangers are present on GT Road and the motorway at Attock’s Hassanabdal to stop the convoys from reaching Islamabad.

    In a social media post earlier in the day, Islamabad police shared pictures of its personnel stationed at various points across the capital to “ensure the imposition of Section 144”, which prohibits public gatherings.

    PTI, on the other hand, shared pictures and videos of several convoys en route to the capital.

    Meanwhile, the Nat­io­nal Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) has issued an alert for possible terrorist attacks during PTI’s march towards Islamabad.

    According to reports, an alert was issued after “technical and human” intelligence gathered by the top counter-terror authority revealed that terrorists were planning “major activities” in big cities of Pakistan.

    The terrorists, whom the government and the military refer to as Fitna-al-Khawarij, will possibly target the PTI’s protest “for their vested interest”, reports said. Nacta has sugge­sted authorities ensure ex­t­reme vigilance and he­i­ghten security measu­res to prevent the att­ack.

    Besides taking strict security measures, the government has also vowed to suppress PTI’s powershow with full force, deploying tens of thousands of security personnel, sealing major roads and arteries of the federal capital, and launching a crackdown on leaders and workers of the opposition party.

    Sources told The Current that dozens of arrests have been made over the past 48 hours and the government has identified at least another 1,500 PTI workers who could be arrested to keep them from participating in the protest.

    All public sector hospitals in the federal capital have also been placed on high alert to meet any emergency situation.

  • Bushra Bibi urges people to join Nov 24 protest; skips it herself

    Bushra Bibi urges people to join Nov 24 protest; skips it herself

    After urging people to join Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) “decisive” Islamabad protest, Bushra Bibi, the wife of jailed party founder Imran Khan, won’t be attending the same herself.

    According to the former first lady’s spokesperson Mashal Yousafzai, she won’t be attending the “do-or-die” protest due to illness.

    PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, in conversation with a private media outlet, also confirmed that Bushra would not participate in the PTI demonstration due to ill health.

    It may be noted that the announcement comes amid severe backlash over a video message wherein the former first lady had hinted at Saudi involvement in her husband’s ouster.

    In a rare on-screen appearance, Bushra had on November 21 released a video message to urge people to take to streets for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) “decisive” Nov 24 protest. She had gone on to talk about her husband’s ouster as the prime minister.

    “The reason behind all powers standing against Khan hasn’t been told before. When Khan went to Madinah barefoot, Bajwa immediately started receiving calls about what kind of person he had brought [with him],” she said.

    According to Bushra’s allegations, Saudi leadership told Gen Bajwa that he had brought with him the “custodian of Shariah” at a time they were trying to “distance themselves from the Shariah system”.

    “After this, a smear campaign was launched against us, and [they] started calling Khan a Jewish agent,” the former first lady claimed.

    As the claims drew strong reactions from members of the government, PTI leaders and supporters alike – with only a few defending or clarifying Bushra’s remarks – her husband and party founder Imran Khan’s official account on X has posted an apparent clarification.

    “Bushra Bibi’s statement was deliberately taken out of context to draw our brotherly country KSA into a needless controversy. She didn’t mention Saudi Arabia at all. My government was toppled through conspiracies, all orchestrated by General Bajwa. I tried to have these investigated through the Chief Justice and General Tariq Khan, but General Bajwa did not allow that to happen. Bushra Bibi has no connection with politics; she only conveyed my message to the nation, as my wife, regarding the November 24 protest,” read the statement on X.

    Khan’s account also claimed that bilateral relations between Pakistan and KSA were at their best during his tenure and he personally shared “excellent” relations with the Kingdom. “I have excellent relations with Saudi Arabia. When I was attacked in Wazirabad, one of the first calls I received was through the embassy from HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.”

    “Saudi Arabia has always stood by us in difficult times. Only two weeks prior to our government being toppled, we held a very successful OIC foreign minister’s conference in Islamabad, which would have been impossible to do had Saudi Arabia not supported and stood with us,” the statement added.

    Former prime minister (PM) Khan has been in jail since August last year without any access to the internet or his social media accounts. Posts on his official handles have time and again made headlines over confusion surrounding actual handlers of said accounts.

    PTI maintains that all statements on Khan’s social media are conveyed via his legal team after seeing him at Adiala Jail.

    Meanwhile, convoys led by top leadership of the PTI are currently en route to Islamabad from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) as the party decides to go forth with its plans to demand Khan’s release by taking to the streets.

    PTI’s march on Islamabad comes reportedly after talks with the government ended inconclusively. The federal government, in light of an Islamabad High Court (IHC) order and the upcoming visit of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko to Pakistan, has denied PTI the permission to hold a protest rally in the capital.

  • Internet, mobile services to be ‘partially suspended’ ahead of PTI protest

    Internet, mobile services to be ‘partially suspended’ ahead of PTI protest

    The federal government has announced the partial suspension of internet and mobile services in Islamabad and other areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab in light of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest scheduled for November 24.

    Maryam Nawaz from Geo News reports that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will activate a firewall for mobile internet service from November 22, and the internet services will be suspended from November 23.

    The report also quotes sources that have claimed that internet and mobile services might be suspended at certain locations at any time.

    The shutdown will result in users being unable to download audio and videos from social media apps.

    The interior ministry has asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, which is administered by the PTI, to ensure that the province does not utilise state machinery to facilitate the protest.

    “[…] in the wake of protest by PTI, it is requested that it may kindly be ensured that Government of KPK does not utili[s]e state machinery, equipment, officials or finances for political protest by the political party,” read the ministry’s letter.

    The Punjab government has also made known that the PTI protesters will be dealt with iron-handedly, while Information Minister Azma Bokhari asserted that the demonstrators will be handled the “same as terrorists.”

    The Islamabad administration announced on Monday the imposition of Section 144 in the federal capital for the coming two months to avoid any lapse in law and order.

    A ban, moreover, has been placed on all processions, rallies, demonstrations and gatherings having five or more than five people, as per the notification issued by Additional District Magistrate Usman Ashraf.

    Additional security has also been requisitioned by Punjab and Islamabad police. For this, over 10,700 police personnel from across Punjab have been put on standby equipped with tear gas, rubber bullets, and anti-riot gear.

    Islamabad administration alone has requisitioned 8,000 additional personnel from Punjab, Sindh, and Kashmir.

    Rangers and the Frontier Corps (FC) are already deployed in the capital, which is likely sealed off with shipping containers by Friday (November 22).

  • Interior Ministry likely to block CNICs, degrees of students participating in PTI protest

    Interior Ministry likely to block CNICs, degrees of students participating in PTI protest

    In a worrying development, Pakistan’s state-owned broadcaster PTV News posted a news alert yesterday on its official X (formerly Twitter) page, informing the public that the Interior Ministry has warned students that if they “participate in the 24th November protest, their educational certificates, admissions and CNICs could be blocked.”

    The News Alert further stated: “The federal government has started geo-fencing Afghan Muhajireen camps within the federal capital and nearby cities. The government is considering blocking the CNICs, degrees and admission of students who engage in violent protests. The interior Ministry is also considering blocking the passports, CNICs, and SIMs of those who participate in protests.”

    The statement follows a call by the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, for nationwide protests while also warning party leaders to either participate in the upcoming protest or leave the party.”

    In a recent statement, Khan stated that those unable to join the planned “power show” should “disassociate themselves” from the PTI, calling it a critical moment in the party’s struggle for freedom and justice.

    Khan, in his announcement on November 13, also denounced what he described as a “stolen mandate,” unjust arrests, and the passage of the 26th amendment, which he claimed strengthened a “dictatorial regime.” 

    In a statement shared on X, Imran reiterated the importance of the November 24 protests. He framed the event as “a golden opportunity to secure genuine freedom for Pakistan” and warned that “enslaved nations eventually die away.”

    The PTV News alert also noted that the federal government is ready to “deal with strictness” on the upcoming November 24 protest by PTI. 

    “Islamabad’s deputy commissioner has imposed Section 144 for two months,” read the news alert by PTV News. 

    Upset social media users reacted over the Interior Ministry’s policy, with one user writing, “Foreigners may find it wild: Pakistan state TV is broadcasting this government message threatening: – surveillance of Afghan refugee camps (fuelling ethnic tensions) – cancellation of ID cards, passports and degrees of students. All to stop PTI protests.”

    Another X user, Ammar Rashid, posted: “Unelected regime thugs inciting racial fears & openly threatening Pakistani students with stripping of their citizenship & right to education for attending a protest. No depth to which this dictatorship will not sink to cling on to power.  Meanwhile, the spineless gaggle of PDM frontmen & their mindless acolytes in the media & social media will clap at these violations of the constitution as if they’re markers of democratic progress & ‘resistance to fascism’.”

  • PTI protest causes 240 million in damages

    PTI protest causes 240 million in damages

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) recent protests in the federal capital devastated 240 million rupees of private and public property.

    The Islamabad Inspector General’s office submitted a report to the Islamabad chief commissioner, which claimed that the federal capital’s 441 safe city cameras worth 140 million rupees were damaged, Geo News reported.

    One policeman was martyred, and 31 were injured, the report maintained.

    Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur had led the protest that was staged in Islamabad in a disorganised manner.

    Ali Amin Gandapur did not show up at D-Chowk. He instead went to KP House Islamabad and then disappeared . Surprisingly, he reappeared in the provincial assembly after one day.

    Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday, while condemning the PTI’s recent protests, stated, “Such incidents are a replica of 2014-15 incidents when a sit-in was staged for months and was not called off despite the announcement of the Chinese president’s visit to Pakistan without bothering about its impact on the country’s image and national economy.”

    Addressing the federal cabinet, he further claimed, “We will not allow it to be repeated. We will not tolerate it at any rate, at any cost. This is my promise. I will not let it happen.”

  • PTI invites India’s foreign minister to join protest in Islamabad

    PTI invites India’s foreign minister to join protest in Islamabad

    Information Adviser to Chief Minister (CM) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif has invited Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to join Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protests during his visit to Islamabad.

    Appearing on the Geo News programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath, Saif said that Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is coming to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Islamabad, and PTI wished him to address their so-called “peaceful arrest”, leaving host Muhammad Junaid momentarily speechless.

    Responding to Pakistan’s interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s request for PTI to postpone their protest as the SCO summit draws near, he said, “India buhat bari jamhooriyat ka dawaa krtay hain, kiya ap un kay Foreign Minister ko yeh dikha rahay hain kay government nay protest ko cancel kr diya.”

    Commenting on the deployment of Pakistan Army in the federal capital, he stated, “The army is deployed over security concerns for the SCO summit, and it has nothing to do with the PTI protest.”

    “Pakistan’s constitution grants us the right to protest anywhere in the country,” he concluded.

    Meanwhile, Advocate Salman Akram Raja, on his X (formerly Twitter) account, claimed that he is distancing himself and PTI from Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif’s statement about his invitation to the Indian Foreign Minister.

    He noted, “If Barrister Saif has said what’s been attributed to him, I dissociate myself and PTI from his statement. PTI’s struggle for democratic values and an independent judiciary is our domestic calling. We expect all those who uphold human rights to support us, not oppressive regimes.”