LAHORE: In response to the decision of federal capital’s district administrator to impose Section-144 and ban public rallies and protests in the capital, Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid said he would “tear Section 144 into 144 pieces tomorrow.”
“Rawalpindi will be closed down on November 2, no matter what. From Chandi Chowk till Islamabad, people will come out on the streets,” the AML chief said while talking to the newsmen here on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan challenged Islamabad High Court (IHK)’s orders and announced that the Islamabad protest scheduled for November 2 will be held at any cost.
Addressing the media on Thursday, Khan said, “It is my legal and constitutional right to hold a peaceful protest and I will exercise that right.”
“We will change the fate of Pakistan on November 2, and no one has the power to stop us,” he said. The cricketer-turned-politician further added that using force against peaceful protesters is unconstitutional.
Congratulating Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in a rather sarcastic tone, Khan said, “You have started the game, but now we will be the ones to end it for you.”
Earlier today, Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered authorities not to place any containers or block roads for PTI’s Islamabad lockdown on November 2.
“No one will be allowed to shut down Islamabad on Nov 2,” Judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui said while hearing petitions filed against the mass protest. “Fundamental rights of common man cannot be compromised in the name of protest,” he added.
