'Imran Khan to soon give long march call'

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar has asserted that former prime minister and party Chairman Imran Khan will soon give a long march call, ARY News reported on Monday.

Speaking during the ARY News program ‘Off the Record’, the former planning minister pointed out that yesterday, the whole country protested against the ‘imported’ government on Imran Khan’s call.

Asad Umar noted that Imran Khan was saying from the first day that these people were asking for NRO. “After the incumbent government amended the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), it has been proved that these people wants NRO,” he added.

Referring to the recent statement of Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir, the PTI leader said that the statement has made it clear that the purpose of bringing a no-confidence motion was for the nation but to avoid personal cases.

“After the NAB law was amended, cases of more than Rs1 trillion were dropped. Most of the cases were against top leadership of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the former federal minister added.

Asad Umar further said that the upcoming by-elections in Punjab would decide who would be the next Chief Minister. “When they will lose majority in Punjab, Shehbaz Sharif will announce elections under duress,” he added.

The ECP has announced the schedule for election on 20 provincial seats vacated after defecting MPAs of the PTI were de-seated. The candidates will be announced as election symbols on June 24, while polling will be held on July 17.

The ECP had de-seated 25 dissident Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPAs who voted for PML-N’s Hamza Shahbaz Sharif in Punjab chief minister’s election.