PTI chief Imran Khan flags off ‘real freedom’ protest march at Lahore. Watch

The rally attempts to press the government to call for early elections.

At the address Imran Khan stressed that common Pakistanis are suffering. He warned that people will sacrifice everything for saving the country. “Listen to this carefully. People are watching the drama. Inflation has engulfed the country. Imported thieves have done the blunder of inflation. But they (ruling party members) are acquitted of ₹11 crore scam. Their handlers, if they believe, they will be accepted.. listen carefully, this country will be able to sacrifice anything.”

In the video shared, Khan is seen saying “Main bhi Pakistan hoon” (I too am Paistan) to his rally of supporters. 

See the video here

The march that Khan touts as ‘march for real freedom’  started with him addressing the people who have gathered from a makeshift caravan in a convoy of vehicles. At the event he praised India’s independent foreign policy and New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil in line with its national interests despite Western pressure amid the Ukraine war.

The march that started in Lahore, almost 270 kilometres east of Islamabad. The convoy will make a slow journey to the capital in seven days by making stops in multiple cities.

During his first speech PTI Chairman Imran Khan said that India is able to import oil from Russia at its will however Pakistanis are a slave who failed to make decisions for the welfare of their country’s people.

“The decisions of this nation must be made inside the nation. If Russia is giving cheap oil and if I have the choice to save my countrymen, no one should ask us. No one should be able to tell us. India can take oil from Russia but slave Pakistanis are not allowed. I want to see a free country and justice must prevail and people should be provided safety and security,” news agency ANI quoted Imran Khan. 

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government has allowed Khan permission to protest at a ground in the outskirts of Islamabad. The former athlete has said the protest will be peaceful and supporters will neither block or enter the capital’s so-called red zone, which includes important government buildings and embassies.

The protest is happening at a time the South Asian nation is looking to recover from catastrophic floods. Moody’s Investors Service downgraded the nation deeper into junk on concerns about debt payments. The nation’s foreign exchange reserves dropped to the lowest in more than three years, before receiving a $1.5 billion boost from the Asian Development Bank this week, and dollar bonds trade in distressed levels.

The former international cricket star, who was removed by a no-confidence vote by parliament in April, has won majority of by-elections since his ouster and drawn large crowds to protests. In public speeches, he has blamed his political opponents of conspiring with the US to remove him from power. Both have denied the allegations.

Khan has also seen multiple legal challenges after the government framed him in corruption and other cases, that may put a brake on his political ambitions. He has been disqualified as a member of parliament in one case and obtained pre-arrest bails in multiple other cases.

The government has said national elections will be held on schedule after its term ends in August next year. The government has increased security in the capital after receiving a threat of a terrorist attack on Khan’s protest, according a statement by the interior ministry. Interior minister Rana Sanaullah has said the government may call in the army if the protesters threaten the capital’s security.

(With inputs from Bloomberg)