Imran Khan to hold long march after federal budget

Islamabad [Pakistan], June 6 (ANI): Former Pakistan Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan has postponed the second long march regarding anti-inflation and against Shehbaz Sharif's government towards Islamabad and decided to participate in the upcoming by-elections in Punjab.
The decisions were taken in a meeting of the party's core committee, chaired by party Chairman Imran Khan at his Bani Gala residence.
The meeting reviewed the ongoing political situation in the country and decided to conduct the long march after the next federal budget,i.e. after June 15, the Tribune reported.
"The core committee has decided to take the decision regarding the anti-inflation march after June 15," PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters.
The new coalition government led by Shehbaz Sharif will present its first budget after it came into power following the ouster of former prime minister Imran Khan through a no-confidence motion. With only a few days left for Pakistan's financial year to end, the economic team has started preparing the federal budget for fiscal year 2022-23.
Qureshi also said that the PTI members of the National Assembly would not appear before the Speaker to verify their resignations. "It was also decided that there would be no talks on any option other than the new elections in the country," he added.
Commenting on the prevailing situation in the country, Qureshi said that economic security is an important aspect in national security. He stressed that the PTI government reduced electricity and petrol prices despite pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
"The state of the economy is worsening with each passing day," Qureshi told reporters. "We were talking about buying cheap oil and wheat from Russia but the current government is refusing to talk to Russia," he added.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani government is mulling whether to file treason charges against the former prime minister and PTI chief Imran Khan over his party's 'Azadi March' last month that led to large-scale violence in Islamabad.
Multiple scuffles took place between the police and PTI marchers after Imran Khan and his convoy entered Islamabad and started marching towards the D-Chowk despite the Supreme Court's order to hold a rally at a ground between areas of Islamabad.
He later had called off his long march and sought help from the Pakistan Supreme court. During a key cabinet meeting, top officials of Shehbaz Sharif's government briefed the participants on Azadi March' held on May 25.
Besides Imran Khan, the officials deliberated over filing a case under the charges of sedition against the chief ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mahmood Khan, and Gilgit-Baltistan, Khalid Khursheed.
Responding to a question, the former foreign minister said that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah wanted to arrest Imran Khan but warned that any such attempt would be a mistake. If Imran was arrested, he said, the workers would react immediately, he said.
"The entire nation listened to Rana Sanaullah's threats and his rhetoric. Rana Sanaullah plans to arrest Imran Khan. If he thinks we will remain silent on Imran's arrest, he is a big fool," he added.(ANI)