“This
is Azadi March and not a sit in plan. It is a movement that will
continue till resignation of Imran Khan,” he said while addressing the
participants of Azadi March near Greater Iqbal Park in Lahore on
Wednesday.
Thousands of people,
including seminary students, are participating in the JUI-F led march.
The convoys of other parties, including the Pakistan People’s Party
(PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and the Awami National
Party (ANP), have also joined the march.
Starting
from Karachi, the caravan reached Lahore in the wee hours of Wednesday.
Major opposition parties, especially the PML-N and the PPP, had
arranged reception camps at different places in the city to welcome the
marchers.
The Azadi March began the last leg by leaving Lahore for the federal capital Wednesday evening.
“Who
says that Maulana Fazlur Rehman will not reach Islamabad? The movement
will intensify if public opinion is not accepted,” Fazl said while
addressing the protesters in Lahore.
The
present regime that was installed through a massively rigged election
would have to go and nothing less than resignation of the PM would be
acceptable to the joint opposition.
“We are followers of Imam Hussain (AS) and not ready to accept rule of a tyrant regime,” said the JUI-F chief.
PPP
Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira and other PPP leaders including
Azizur Rehman Chan and Aslam Gill also addressed the highly charged
protesters.
The
PML-N leaders however were conspicuous by their absence on Wednesday,
though they were adding the charged crowds at reception camps the
previous night.
The caravan led by
the JUI-F chief was likely to reach the capital at day time today. JUI-F
Rawalpindi Chief Hafiz Zia Ur Rehman said that the protesters will
reach Gujjar Khan Wednesday night and leave for Islamabad Thursday
morning.
According to the JUI-F’s
Rawalpindi leadership, it was decided that the march will enter
Islamabad through Murree Road, Rawalpindi and reach the protest venue
through Faizabad.
However, some
reports suggested the caravan would reach the protest venue after
passing through the T Chwok, Faizabad, Zero Point and the Kashmir
Highway.
The
JUI-F chief in his address said they would put their demands before the
government in Islamabad and then adopt the future strategy after seeing
the rulers’ response.
Importantly,
Fazl vowed to send the PTI government packing by keeping within the
ambit of constitution and law. He pointed out that the marchers had
remained totally peaceful throughout and nothing was damaged during the
1300 kilometers journey they had already made.
He
said the Azadi March had become the voice of entire nation, and brought
whole nation on one page. He said wherever the march passed, it
received immense support and assistance.
Fazl
said that the rulers proved to be completely incompetent as they
destroyed country’s economy, especially agriculture, industry and trade
sectors and pushed the nation to the brink of starvation.
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He
lamented that Imran Khan’s policies forced even the affluent
businessmen towards bankruptcy, while the small traders were facing
total collapse.
The opposition
leader said those who claimed to provide ten million jobs to countrymen
had only provided jobs to two foreigners by appointing them governor of
the State Bank and FBR chairman.
The
JUI-F leader said the teachers and doctors were being beaten up by
police for demanding their due rights, while the poor people were
deprived of even voicing their pain and resentment.
He said government violated the centuries old code for Khatm-e-Nabuwwat, causing serious mental agony to entire Muslim Ummah.
Fazl
expressed gratitude for all the parties participating and supporting
the Azadi March. Without naming any party, he said those opposition
parties which did not support it had some ‘serious compulsion’ which he
knew very well.
He said he greatly
appreciates the support of “all jialas, matwalas, protectors of
Khatm-e-Nabuwwat, and those who were ready to lay down lives for
protecting country’s security, ideology and integrity”.
PPP
Punjab president Qamar Zaman Kaira warned that if Plan A of the Azadi
March failed, Plans B and C would be implanted. He added that “illegal”
rulers should be sent packing at all costs.
He
said the sooner the incompetent government was removed, the better it
would be for the nation, which was suffering under the numerous plagues
brought by the rulers.
Scene in Islamabad
Talking
to the reporters at the protest venue on Tuesday, JUI-F’s Maulana Abdul
Ghafoor Haideri said that the historical Azadi March could reach there
late Wednesday.
He said that the
arrangements were still yet to be completed due to the late permission
given to them by the authorities. He also said that the place allotted
for the protest was not enough for “the millions of the protesters”.
The
Nation contacted a senior leader of JUI-F Islamabad chapter on the
route issue and he said that the final route was yet to be announced
officially from the JUI-F.
The JUI-F
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has also presented its schedule for the journey
towards the capital. JUI leader Maulana Atta Ur Rehman presided over a
session where the schedule of the party’s Azadi March was presented.
According
to the schedule, the JUI-F caravan will depart from KP on October 31.
Caravans will depart from Peshawar, Chitral, Dir, Kohistan, Shangla and
Tor Ghar for the federal capital. The caravans will arrive at 2pm on
October 31 at the Rashakai Interchange. The rallies from Khyber, Bajaur,
and Mohmand will depart from the JUI-F provincial secretariat on
October 31.
Caravans from the south
districts, South and North Waziristan, Kurram Agency, Orakzai and Kohat
will arrive in Peshawar. Caravans from Abbotabad, Mansehra, Battagram
and Haripur will arrive at Hasan Abdal by 4pm.
