Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Karachi on Wednesday continued their symbolic hunger strike outside the Karachi Press Club for the third consecutive day, demanding an immediate release of their leader, Imran Khan.
The protest, led by PTI Karachi Division President Raja Azhar and General Secretary Arsalan Khalid, saw participation from PTI figures including Dr. Masroor Sial, Rashid Abbasi, Advocate Khalid Mahmood, Advocate Ashraf Samoon, Advocate Zahoor Mehsud, Dawa Khan, and a large number of party workers.
During his address, he emphasized the continuous nature of their hunger strike and reiterated their demands for the immediate release of Imran Khan and the restoration of their “stolen mandate” given by the public. He criticized the police’s actions on the first day of the strike, where officers allegedly raided their camp and arrested several workers, claiming that the Karachi Press Club should have been a safe space for their protest.
Azhar announced that the protest, which began in Karachi, would spread across Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the entire nation until Imran Khan is released and their mandate restored. He further condemned the current Prime Minister, referring to them as unlawfully appointed as per Form 47, and expressed the intention to remove them from office.
Azhar accused the current government of ruining the economy and selling off national institutions, asserting that the country has seen no improvement since the “corrupt” administration took power. He lamented that the international community is witnessing the government’s violence against its own citizens and criticized the appointment of a “thief” instead of a patriot to lead the country.
He stated that corrupt politicians like Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari has led to country downfall. He mentioned the refusal of Nawaz Sharif’s sons to acknowledge Pakistani citizenship and labeled Zardari as the biggest thief and criminal.
Azhar called the May 9 incident a premeditated conspiracy, alleging that the government has not yet proven PTI’s involvement. He demanded the release of videos implicating those responsible and appropriate punishment for the perpetrators. Azhar compared the selective memory of the authorities regarding violent incidents, pointing out that the bloodshed on May 12 and the destruction on December 27 have been overlooked while the focus remains on May 9.
He reiterated that PTI workers were peaceful citizens and would not tolerate the injustices they face. Azhar also raised concerns about the killings of journalists in Sindh, with the recent murders of Jan Muhammad Mahar and Nasrullah Gadani, questioning the provincial government’s accountability as the perpetrators remain at large.
Azhar concluded by highlighting the surge in street crimes in Karachi, accusing the government and police of protecting criminals while targeting unarmed and peaceful PTI protesters.