Leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday called for a nationwide shutter-down and wheel-jam strike on February 8 to protest what they described as an unjust system, following a gathering of party officials and supporters outside Adiala Jail.
Sindh Vice President Rizwan Niazi arrived outside Adiala Jail, where a large number of the party’s central and provincial leaders as well as workers were already present. The assembly was held to express solidarity with the party’s chairman, Imran Khan, who is incarcerated at the facility. The leaders conveyed that the nation standing with Khan would not yield to pressure or coercion.
Addressing the gathering, provincial adviser Shafee Jan announced the countrywide protest, urging citizens to stand with Imran Khan and ensure the strike’s success against what he termed a fake system and anti-people policies.
Several speakers, including Senator Mirza Afridi and Provincial Minister Meena Khan Afridi, asserted that public backing for Imran Khan had transformed into a national movement. Senator Afridi noted that large crowds spontaneously gather wherever party officials travel, which he claimed was proof of Khan’s enduring popularity.
Meena Khan Afridi stated that the public was prepared for genuine change and would take to the streets for Khan’s release, adding that people were no longer willing to accept subjugation. Rizwan Niazi described the former prime minister as an ideology that could not be suppressed, maintaining that the entire nation, including the youth and elders of Sindh, stood united behind his vision.
Shaukat Basra recalled the party’s previous electoral performance, citing the winning of 22 National Assembly seats from Karachi as evidence of Sindh’s alignment with Imran Khan. He stressed that the entire nation must participate in the February 8 protest to bring an end to the outdated and oppressive system.
The leaders concluded by affirming that their political struggle would persist until the release of Imran Khan, the establishment of constitutional supremacy, and the restoration of what they consider to be true democracy in the country.