Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Mussarat Jamshed Cheema has called on the federal and Punjab governments to allow the party’s planned rally on August 13 without interference, saying the public should be left to decide whether Imran Khan’s popularity has risen or fallen.
In a statement on Sunday, Cheema criticised what she termed the rulers’ “intoxication with power,” warning that their political manoeuvres would “one day be crushed under their own burden.” She pointed to the government’s handling of PTI’s recent August 5 protest, alleging that prior to the event, raids were carried out on party leaders and workers, and containers were placed in major cities to block movement.
“Despite a curfew-like situation, PTI leaders and workers came out of their homes and challenged the government’s oppression,” she said, adding that such measures were the hallmark of “fake rulers” who lack genuine public support.
Cheema maintained that despite the “oppression, brutality, and restrictions,” the popularity of Imran Khan and PTI had continued to rise. She urged the authorities to demonstrate political maturity by allowing the party to hold its gatherings without obstruction.