‘Jail Bharo’ ploy – PTI big guns Qureshi, Asad Umar to lead from the front

In first phase, Qureshi, Umar Sarfraz, Murad Raas, and Waleed Iqbal along with 200 party workers will surrender to police at 2pm: Large number of people have assembled at Zaman Park: Sanaullah vows to deal with ‘violators of peace’ with an iron hand: Section 144 already in place on The Mall, Gulberg Main Boulevard and Punjab Civil Secretariat,

Lahore_The first phase of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Jail Bharo Tehreek (court arrest drive) will kick off today (Wednesday) from Lahore as Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Umar Sarfraz and Waleed Iqbal along with 200 party workers will surrender to police,

The PTI workers will assemble at Chairing Cross and would court arrest at 2pm.

In the first phase, the mid-tier leadership of the party including former Punjab governor Sarfraz Cheema, Senator Waleed Iqbal, former provincial minister Murad Raas, Muhammad Khan Madni, Fawad Rasool Bhakkar along with 200 PTI activists will surrender to the authorities.

In a statement, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said four other PTI leaders would surrender themselves along with him and if the police didn’t arrest them they will make another attempt from Multan.

In Lahore, Dr Yasmeen Rashid, Ijaz Chaudhry and Fawad Chaudhry will also be present on the occasion.

Taking to its Twitter handle, the PTI urged its workers to show courage and fill up jails.

ہمت کر کے اگے بڑھنا ہے
غلامی کی زنجیروں کو توڑنا ہے#جیل_بھرو_خوف_کے_بت_توڑو pic.twitter.com/TH6pWRxSnE

— PTI (@PTIofficial) February 22, 2023

In his Twitter message, Umar Cheema said that all PTI workers would first assemble at party’s central office on Jail Road at 11am today.

https://twitter.com/OmarCheemaPTI/status/1628120180466528256/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1628120180466528256%7Ctwgr%5Ea6a3d1b03300d161ebb7e0d63b64b0dd1ca9eb61%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.24newshd.tv%2F22-Feb-2023%2Fpti-all-set-to-kick-off-jail-bharo-tehreek-from-lahore

 

The PTI workers have made full preparations to go to jail on the directions of their chairman.

A large number of people have assembled at Zaman Park.

The woman workers, too, are ready to court arrests.

The PTI activists are hopeful that when the ‘sea of people’ will surrender to authorities, the jails will become full and there would be no space to take in more people.

A festive mood was surrounding the Zaman Park as party workers kept on grooving on the party songs all night.

After Lahore, Peshawar will witness the launch of the court arrest drive on Feb 23. Rawalpindi will follow on Feb 24, Multan on Feb 25, Gujranwala on Feb 26, Sargodha on Feb 27, and Sahiwal on Feb 28. Faisalabad will join the movement on the first day of March.

Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, who is the focal person of the Jail Bharo Tehreek, appeared confident about the success of the movement.

Sanaullah warns activists 

On the other hand, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Tuesday that the PTI ‘Court Arrest Drive’ was a drama. He vowed to deal with the violators of peace with an iron hand. He said anyone who violated law, would be arrested. He said by kicking off this drive, the PTI wanted to bring instability in the country and it also wanted to grab media’s attention.

The minister warned the PTI workers that authorities would keep the record of all the ‘enemies of peace’ and it would be mentioned very clearly in their police certificates.

A day earlier, the Punjab government imposed Section 144 on The Mall, Gulberg Main Boulevard as well as outside the Punjab Civil Secretariat and its adjoining roads to prohibit all kinds of assemblies, sit-ins and processions.

Parvez Elahi

Former Punjab chief minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Parvez Elahi has joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) along with his 10 aides ahead of the launch of the court arrest drive. The announcement was made after PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat sacked him as the party’s Punjab president and revoked his basic membership.Speaking on the occasion, Mr Elahi said that he will always support the former prime minister, and never do anything that will harm the party,

Earlier this week, the caretaker Punjab government imposed Section 144 in Lahore for seven days with immediate effect, citing terror threat and beginning to PSL-8 matches in the city, Dunya News reported.

However, the development comes after the PTI announced the court arrest drive. As per the notification, the Punjab government imposed Section 144 in three areas of Lahore, including Main Boulevard Gulberg, the Mall Road Lahore (from Mian Mir Bridge to Istanbul Chowk) and Civil Secretariat and its adjacent roads.

All kinds of protests, corner meetings, jalsas, public gatherings rallies, processions, dharnas and such other activities in the above mentioned areas under Section 144 (6) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898.