ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced another protest at Islamabad’s D-Chowk on October 15, coinciding with the start of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.
The announcement followed a meeting of PTI's political committee. The party's central information secretary, Sheikh Waqas Akram, posted on X, stating that a "powerful" demonstration would take place on that day.
He also revealed that PTI protests in Punjab have been called off and demanded the release of party workers, leaders, and MPAs who were detained in the province.
The PTI also called for an end to what they described as "unlawful" raids and arrests by the federal and Punjab governments. Akram expressed concerns for the PTI chairman’s safety, claiming that government actions had deprived him of basic human rights.
Accusing the government of using violence and oppression, Akram asserted that PTI would not back down. He warned that all of Pakistan would protest on October 15 if Imran Khan was not granted access to his basic rights, family, and party leaders.
The SCO summit is scheduled to be held in Islamabad on October 15 and 16.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif criticized the PTI protest, accusing the party of creating disruption just as the Chinese Premier and a Saudi delegation were set to visit.
He likened the situation to PTI's 2014 sit-in, which continued despite the announcement of the Chinese president’s visit to Pakistan.
The prime minister vowed to prevent a repeat of that event, saying, "We will not allow it to be repeated at any cost."
