Achakzai-led alliance plans roadside receptions and alleges repression against PTI workers
The TTAP convoy reached Gujar Khan where it received a formal welcome. SCREEN CAPTURE
A convoy of Tehreek Tahaffuz Aain Pakistan (TTAP), an alliance of opposition parties, left Islamabad for Lahore on Thursday to express solidarity with the sisters of jailed PTI founder Imran Khan.
Led by TTAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, the convoy included around 70 vehicles carrying senior leaders of the movement as well as opposition members of the Punjab Assembly, including opposition leader Moeen Qureshi. Before leaving, a collective prayer was offered.
The convoy reached Gujar Khan where it received a formal welcome.
Party sources said Gujar Khan was the first of five expected catches along the route. However, PTI sources said that the first grand reception was expected in Jhelum, where party workers were preparing to receive the leaders.
According to TTAP spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain, Achakzai, Allama Raja Nasir, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser were initially part of the delegation. PTI sources later said that Asad Qaiser would not join the convoy as he was scheduled to hold a press conference at KP House with lawyer Gohar Ali Khan and Salman Akram Raja around 2 pm on Thursday.
PTI sources also said that Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar had a prior family commitment and was expected to join the delegation on Friday. Akhunzada Hussain later confirmed that Asad Qaiser and Mustafa Nawaz would not accompany the convoy for these reasons, but said that both leaders, including Asad Qaiser, would join later.
Akhunzada Hussain said the delegation would be received at five different points between Gujar Khan and Data Darbar. He said the convoy was expected to reach Lahore at 7 pm and Zaman Park would serve as a base for political activities. He added that Moeen Qureshi was making arrangements for a possible compromise in the Punjab Assembly, although no plan had been finalized.
A PTI source said the party had already approached Imran Khan’s sister for permission for an engagement at Zaman Park, but the program was not final yet. He said other commitments were also not confirmed and that arrangements were being finalized on the fly.
According to the same source, after the reception at Gujar Khan, the convoy was expected to make a lunch stop at Jhelum, followed by another important event in Gujrat. The penultimate reception is planned at Shahdrah, while the final reception will be held at Data Darbar. He said activities in Punjab Assembly, Minar-e-Pakistan and other places were also being considered.
Read: TTAP convoy arrives in Lahore today
Akhunzada Hussain said permission to use Zaman Park as a base had been granted a month ago. He described Zaman Park as a symbol of resistance and said the PTI had no objection to its use.
Meanwhile, PTI leader Brigadier (retd) Mushtaq, the party’s Punjab in-charge and member of the provincial assembly, said the convoy would pass through several cities before reaching Lahore. He alleged that the provincial government was under pressure due to the movement and claimed that PTI workers were facing repression in several cities.
He said an “all-out fury” of police action against PTI leaders and workers in Jhelum was unleashed on Wednesday, including arrests, looting of homes, knocking on doors and harassment. He said the house of the party’s district general secretary was ransacked and the district president was arrested in Jhelum district.
