2 yıl önce

Pakistan's Khan announces 'long march' on Islamabad to press for snap polls

Ex-PM Imran Khan's announcement comes after the Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified him for failing to disclose gifts and proceeds of their alleged sale he received while serving as prime minister.

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Imran Khan has held rallies across the country in recent months calling for snap elections in Pakistan.

Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan has announced that he would begin a protest march with his supporters from the eastern city of Lahore to Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Friday to call for early elections.

"I have decided to launch the long march from Friday at 11.00 am from Liberty Square in Lahore to Islamabad," Khan said at press conference in Lahore on Tuesday evening. The distance between the two cities is about 380 kilometres.

"I am marching to press the government to announce elections immediately," he said, adding his supporters and party members should avoid violence.

Smaller protests by Khan's supporters took place last week after Pakistan's top election tribunal found Khan guilty of unlawfully selling gifts from foreign dignitaries and heads of state, removing him of his parliamentary seat.

Since being removed from office by a no-confidence vote in the legislature in April, Khan has held protests across the country calling for snap elections, but the government has said they will be held as scheduled in October or November next year.

In response to a query about the government's possible use of force to impede protesters, he claimed that his protest march will be peaceful and that he has no intention of entering the capital's red zone.

"We will remain peaceful as families will join us," Khan said, adding that the government will be held accountable "if they use any force against peaceful people."

Political, economic uncertainty

The government has already promised that demonstrators will be barred from entering Islamabad, and they expect to deploy some 30,000 law enforcement to encircle the capital for protection.

The authorities also sent hundreds of containers into Islamabad to barricade all entry points before the demonstrators arrived.

Last week's ruling has added to the political and economic uncertainty plaguing Pakistan this year.

The 70-year-old cricketer-turned-politician was accused of misusing his 2018 to 2022 premiership to buy and sell gifts in state possession that were received during visits abroad and worth more than 140 million Pakistani rupees ($634,920.63).

The Election Commission of Pakistan ruled that Khan would be removed from his seat in parliament but did not order a longer disqualification from public office, which under Pakistani law can be up to five years.

The Islamabad High Court, however, said he is not barred from contesting elections in the future.

The political instability has also fuelled economic uncertainty, with international ratings agencies questioning if the current government can maintain difficult economic policies in the face of political pressure and looming elections.

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies