Jail Bharo Tehreek part of election campaign: Fawad Chaudhry

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is all set to commence ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ from tomorrow (February 22), with party leader Fawad Chaudhry saying that the drive was part of the election campaign, ARY News reported on Monday.

Talking to journalists in Lahore, former information minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the PTI’s ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ would start from Lahore tomorrow in protest against alleged crackdown on party leaders and workers.

“Party leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Asad Umar have expressed their desire to court arrest tomorrow – on the first day of the movement,” he said, adding that the government was continuously registering ‘bogus cases’ against the opposition.

The former minister noted that the country’s economic conditions have worsened due to agreement signed with International Monetary Fund (IMF), claiming that the incumbent government has failed to solve the country’s problems.

“The government is carrying out political victimization and flouting the Constitution,” he said, adding that the ‘jail bharo’ drive was launched in protest against alleged crackdown on party leaders and workers.

He noted that summon notices were issued to party Chairman Imran Khan and other party leaders after National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Aftab Sultan stepped down from the post. “Aftab Sultan preferred to resign instead of becoming a party”, he claimed.

Speaking of the elections, Fawad Chaudhry said that President Dr Arif Alvi has announced April 9 as the date for holding elections for Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assemblies.

He lambasted Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) for running away from the elections, asking why the government accepted their resignations if the rulers were afraid of elections.

It is pertinent to mention here that PTI has announced Jail Bharo Tehreek schedule.

As per details, 200 PTI workers and a six-member group of former MNAs and MNAs will present themselves for arrest on a daily basis from February 22 till March 1st.

If the party workers and members are not arrested they will sit-in on that place.

On February 22, the PTI workers will fill the jails on Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam, workers from Peshawar will present themselves for arrest on February 23 while Rawalpindi workers on February 24, Multan and Gujranwala workers will fill the jails on February 25 and 26 respectively. While workers from Sargodha, Sahiwal and Faisalabad on February 27, 28 and March 1st.

The list of PTI workers and members who will voluntarily fill the jails on February 22, has been issued.