Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has announced a countrywide protest on Sunday against rising inflation and the hike in prices of petroleum products.
In a video message, the former prime minister called on the masses to hold a countrywide protest on Sunday at 9 pm against the “imported regime,” saying that it has made the people’s lives miserable.
“This Sunday, all of you have to protest at 9pm and I will address all of you via video link at 10pm,” he said and invited political parties and women to join the PTI’s protest. “It is our democratic and constitutional right to protest; we have always held peaceful protests.”
عمران خان صاحب نے #امپورٹڈ_حکومت_نامنظور کی جانب سے عوام پر پٹرول ڈیزل بم مہنگائی، لوڈ شیڈنگ کیخلاف ملک گیر احتجاج کی کال دے دی ہے۔ بروز اتوار رات 9 بجے آپکے شہروں میں مخصوص مقامات پر سکرینیں لگائی جائے گی جس سے عمران خان خود خطاب فرمائیں گے۔ #سازش_ہی_تھی pic.twitter.com/I9tQxaCXt2
— PTI (@PTIofficial) June 16, 2022
Khan said, “I want you all to come out against this imported regime, otherwise inflation will further increase.”
Read more: Imran Khan to announce next long march after SC verdict
Speaking of inflation, he said, “During our three-and-a-half-year tenure, the petrol price increased by Rs50 only and was being sold at Rs150 per litre. We had given a subsidy of Rs200 billion on oil prices.”
Khan said, “we were also asked by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to end subsidies, but we provided relief to people and did not accept their harsh conditions.”
The PTI chairman on May 26 called off his party’s so-called “Azadi March” in Islamabad, fearing “bloodshed” as, during the events leading up to the protest at D-Chowk, three people had been killed — a police constable and two PTI workers.
Khan, who was ousted from power in April, has not accepted the government and repeatedly said he will march again to the capital.
In a scathing attack on the government, Khan said: “I want to give a message to these people: If you could not handle the affairs of the country, then why did you conspire?”
Read more: Abolishing petroleum subsidy to avoid default, Miftah
Khan said the government is claiming that his party installed “landmines” for the incoming set-up as it could not manage affairs.
“Why did you derail a country that was moving in the right direction. [You] did it just to save your corruption,” the PTI chairman lashed out at the coalition government.
Khan said the government, giving reasons for the rising inflation, is stating that there is an international crisis; therefore, it has also impacted Pakistan.
“You have understood this now? We were facing these issues as well. I repeatedly stated that we were saving our people from inflation despite a global increase in prices,” Khan said.
The PTI chairman’s criticism comes as the government hiked the price of petroleum products yet again a day earlier, taking the per litre rate of petrol to a record high of Rs233.89.
In less than a month, the government has increased the price by around Rs84. But officials have stressed that there was no other way as the subsidy was unaffordable, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had also demanded abolishing the subsidies.
With input from The News