Nationwide protest campaign: PTI lawmakers step up efforts aimed at getting party founder released

ISLAMABAD: In a bold move escalating the political heat, opposition Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers departed Islamabad for Lahore on Saturday, gearing up to hammer out a nationwide protest campaign aimed at securing the release of their jailed leader Imran Khan.

The high-stakes meeting which will take place in Lahore will also chart the party’s future political strategy. The delegation includes members of the National Assembly, Senate, and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly, signaling PTI’s determination to consolidate its fragmented ranks.

“Our first meeting in Lahore will finalise the movement through to August 5,” KP Chief Minister and senior PTI figure Ali Amin Gandapur told reporters on departure – though he remained tight-lipped on the finer details.

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The timing is crucial: The meeting comes on the heels of last month’s fiery clash in the Punjab Assembly. On June 27, PTI lawmakers vehemently protested during Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s address, an uproar that prompted the assembly speaker to suspend 26 PTI members for 15 sessions – a move seen by PTI as a calculated political hit.

PTI leaders vowed the Lahore gathering would send a clear message of solidarity with the suspended lawmakers and lay the groundwork for an aggressive protest campaign.

“This is not a rally,” insisted Gohar Khan, acting PTI chairman, briefing the media before departure. “We have summoned a parliamentary party meeting to finalise our future strategy.” He confirmed the Punjab government has been formally notified of the meeting.

Meanwhile, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja emphasised the party’s unwavering resolve, asserting, “The return of the sons of Imran Khan is their fundamental right, and they will return.”

Raja stressed the delegation’s trip is strictly for strategic discussions, promising a swift return after meetings over the weekend. He highlighted the critical state of the nation’s political and economic landscape and voiced concern over the perceived erosion of constitutional rights: “Article 19 is our fundamental right, and this right has been taken away from us.”

The PTI, he said, is eager to reconnect with the public and “listen to their issues” amid growing unrest.

This planned protest surge follows a bruising Supreme Court ruling last week, which upheld the Election Commission’s controversial refusal to allot PTI reserved parliamentary seats for women and minorities – a blow directly tied to the party losing its electoral symbol ahead of the February 2024 general elections. Forced to run as independents, PTI-backed candidates won the most general seats but were denied the proportional reserved seats by the ECP, triggering fierce backlash.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025