Imran’s ‘Court Arrest’ Drive From February 22

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced that his party would launch ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ (court arrest movement) on February 22 to protest what he called a government crackdown on his party members. In a video address, Khan who is also chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said the movement would begin from Lahore and then spread to all major cities. He reiterated his claim that PTI leaders Shahbaz Gill and Azam Swati were tortured and stripped naked by the government. “Such brutal actions have not been taken against political opponents in the country’s history. The treatment meted out to Sheikh Rashid and Fawad Chaudhry is in front of everyone,” he remarked. He also expressed concerns over what he termed the federal government’s tactics to delay elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, saying that if polls are not held within 90 days of the dissolution of the assemblies, the caretaker governments would be deemed illegal, reports The Express Tribune.