Imran Khan's supporters converge on Lahore's Liberty Chowk to launch protest march for fresh polls
Lahore/Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan was tense on Friday as hundreds of supporters of Imran Khan's party gathered in Lahore as the former prime minister was all set to launch his protest march towards Islamabad to force the government to announce a date for early general elections.
Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) riding on their motorcycles and carrying party flags have assembled at the famous Liberty Chowk from where Khan would proceed towards the capital through the historic GT Road.
Khan, 70, plans to arrive in Islamabad on November 4 and has sought formal permission from the government to allow his party to hold a protest rally. His party has billed the protest as a Haqiqi Azadi March' or a protest for actual freedom of the country.
It is not clear if he would go back after the rally or transform it into a sit-in on the pattern of his 2014 protest when a 126-day sit-in was staged by his followers in front of the parliament building.
The organisers had announced to start the march at 11 am but it was delayed and it was not clear when exactly it would begin.
The coalition government led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has made elaborate security arrangements to maintain peace while warning the PTI that any effort to create a law and order situation would be dealt with an "iron hand", Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told reporters in Islamabad.
He warned that strict action will be taken if they attempt to break the law and create a law and order situation in the capital, he said, adding that the Supreme Court's orders regarding the protest were clear. If protesters abide by the law, we will facilitate them, he said.
In response, PTI secretary general Asad Umar told the media in Lahore that the protest would be peaceful and from now on all decisions will be taken by the people . He said that the party decided to dedicate the march to slain journalist Arshad Sharif.
The country was grappling with different versions about the killing of journalist Sharif in Kenya and indirect allegations against the armed forces.
Former information minister Fawad Chaudhry, who was with Umar at the presser, urged the public to take part in the protest. "You should take part in this march even if you do not belong to the PTI. The nation must reject decisions taken behind closed doors," he said.
The government rejected the march and Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the nation had refused to be subservient to a "foreign-funded" instigator and had rejected the "bloody march".
As the PTI planned protest was about to begin, the stocks fell by over 200 points during early trade and the benchmark KSE-100 index lost 228.54 points, or 0.55 per cent, to reach 41,374.32 points by the middy.
Earlier, Khan in a video message said that the protest was not for personal or political interests but to attain actual freedom for the country . Khan has been demanding early elections and threatening a protest march towards Islamabad to force his demands if the government failed to give a date for elections.
The term of the National Assembly will end in August 2023 and fresh elections should be held within 60 days.
Khan, who was ousted from power in April after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, has talked about a 'threat letter' from the US and claimed that it was part of a foreign conspiracy to remove him as he was not acceptable for following an independent foreign policy. The US has bluntly rejected the allegations.
According to officials, the interior ministry has already decided to deploy around 30,000 police, rangers, and para-military troops in Islamabad and not allow protesters to enter the red-zone area near the parliament building.
The President's House, Prime Minister's House, ministers' offices, parliament, and other important buildings, including foreign embassies, are located in the red-zone area.
The march's commencement date was announced on Tuesday by Khan. We will gather at Liberty Chowk at 11am on Friday, and set off for Islamabad, he had said.
We will stay peaceful. If any disruption comes, it would be from the other side, not ours. We are aiming for a soft revolution. We are not going to Islamabad to create any mischief, Khan assured, adding that despite all his peaceful intentions he was ready for arrest as well.
چیئرمین عمران خان کا کنٹینر لاہور لبرٹی چوک پہنچ گیا- #حقیقی_آزادی_لانگ_مارچ pic.twitter.com/wpLfW9ew05
— PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (@PTIKPOfficial) October 28, 2022
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IPL first phase schedule announced amid travel concerns caused by war in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener in Bengaluru on March 28 as the BCCI announced the first phase of the tournament schedule amid concerns around players' travel arrangements due to the ongoing West Asia conflict.
All matches scheduled at the Chinnaswamy Stadium remain subject to clearance from the Karnataka government appointed expert committee, which is scheduled to meet on March 13 to assess venue preparedness in the wake of the deadly stampede at the stadium last season.
The BCCI announced the schedule of the first 20 games on Wednesday and will unveil the full schedule once the dates of elections in three states -- Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal -- are announced.
Besides the state elections, the escalating conflict in West Asia will also be at the forefront of BCCI officials' minds. The war has wreaked havoc to international travel with operations of major airports like Doha and Dubai being heavily restricted.
As a result of that, some of the squad members of South Africa and West Indies are yet to reach home a week after the completion of their T20 World Cup campaign.
It remains to be seen if IPL bound players of those two nations report to their respective teams in time.
"There was a substantial delay in departure of West Indies and South Africa players. It would be a tough task to get them back to India on time. Plus the airfares have gone up substantially due to the war in West Asia," a team official told PTI.
Additionally, hotels across India are facing cooking gas shortage due to the raging conflict and on Tuesday, the central government invoked Essential Commodities Act to ensure uninterrupted supply of domestic cooking gas.
Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanthan told PTI that he is expecting his players from the West Indies and South Africa -- Akeal Hossein and Dewald Brevis, to join the team well before their IPL opener.
"We are expecting no delays from their end," he said.
The second game of the opening weekend will see Mumbai Indians host Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium and the opening weekend will not feature any double-headers.
A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
"During the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur," said the BCCI in a statement.
"During this period (the first 16 days), the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.
"Following the opening encounter on Saturday, Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
"The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka," the BCCI added.
