The top leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) announced a nationwide protest against the government on August 5, during a press conference on Sunday. Omar Ayub criticized the treatment of their parliamentarians, mentioning that MNAs are being picked up by agencies and presented before anti-corruption bodies. He noted uncertainty about which of the five intelligence agencies were responsible for these actions and attributed the legal cases against their associates to the affidavits they submitted when joining PTI.
Ayub recalled Imran Khan’s warning about the regime’s aim to create conflict between the army and PTI, accusing PML-N of attempting to pit the largest party against the army. He stressed that immediate elections are the only solution to the political turmoil and announced a meeting to decide on a sit-in at D-Chowk.
Asad Qaiser condemned the severe crackdown on PTI supporters and urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu notice of the forced resignations of 41 MNAs. He called for large protests across the country on August 5, marking one year of the PTI founder’s imprisonment. Qaiser highlighted issues of rising inflation and the decline in the textile industry, criticizing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his niece for their behavior. He demanded the withdrawal of baseless cases against PTI members and invited all parties to join their nationwide sit-ins, declaring the current government as fake and imposed without a mandate.
