Imran Khan threatens to take to streets if assemblies aren’t dissolved by May 14   

Former prime minister Imran Khan has threatened to take to the street if the coalition government does not dissolve the assemblies by May 14, The 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Monday.

“The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf will take to the streets, if the assemblies are not dissolved before May 14,” the PTI chief said while addressing the participants of a rally taken out from Liberty Chowk to Nasir Bagh.

“The elections will be held after Imran Khan is removed. They (the PDM government) tried to kill me in Wazirabad, he added.

Imran continued: “We want to establish the rule of law and justice. The government wanted to weaken the party.

"My workers are being arrested. There will be only one thing in the negotiations … if the assemblies are dissolved before May 14, we are ready to negotiate."

“I am happy to see the success of this rally,” he said and announced the culmination of the demonstration. 

Security was stepped out as the district administration gave the permission to take out the rally.

Earlier, Fawad Chaudhry claimed that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) stopped the political party from organising the rally. He criticised the ECP for banning the rally.

The coalition government and the PTI have been holding talks on the matter of election. The opposition delegation consists of PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry and Senator Ali Zafar while PML-N’s Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Azam Nazeer Tarar and Sardar Ayaz Sadiq along with PPP’s Senator Yousuf Raza Gilani and Syed Naveed Qamar are representing the government.

Imran Khan has been on a campaign for snap polls since his ouster from the Prime Minister’s Office through a no-confidence motion in April last.

He blamed the US for his ouster, saying US-backed conspiracy was behind his ouster as he made an independent foreign policy. However, Washinton denied any wrongdoing.

He led a march to the federal capital and dissolved the assemblies of Punjab and KP after his road show failed to bear fruit.

As the top court ordered holding the election by May 14, the election commission made a request for poll postponement till October 8, citing issues of law and order and financial constraints. The defence ministry too made a request for a delay in polls but the SC rejected it.

Ahead of the second round of talks, Shah Mehmood Qureshi resented the arrest of PTI workers by the federal capital police during Imran Khan’s arrival at the Islamabad High Court. He, however, said that he is still optimistic. SAPM Attaullah Tarar said that the government and the opposition are holding dialogue over elections and ‘it is hoped that the talks will be fruitful’.