Achakzai-led alliance plans receptions en route, alleges crackdown on PTI workers
The TTAP convoy reached Gujar Khan, where it was officially welcomed. SCREENSHOT
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 imprisoned PTI founder Imran Khan.
Led by TTAP leader 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. A collective prayer was offered before the departure of the convoy.
The convoy reached Gujar Khan, where it was officially welcomed.
Party sources said Gujar Khan was the first of five functions planned along the route. However, PTI sources said the first grand reception was expected in Jhelum, where party activists were preparing to welcome 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 Asad Qaiser would not join the convoy as he was scheduled to hold a press conference at KP House along with lawyer Gohar Ali Khan and Salman Akram Raja on Thursday around 2 p.m.
PTI sources also said that Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar had a previous family engagement 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 the two leaders, including Asad Qaiser, would join it later.
Akhunzada Hussain said the delegation would be received at five different points between Gujar Khan and Data Darbar. He said the convoy is expected to arrive in Lahore around 7 p.m. and Zaman Park will serve as a base for political activities. He added that Moeen Qureshi was making arrangements for possible engagement in the Punjab Assembly, although no plans had been finalized.
A PTI source said the party had already contacted Imran Khan’s sister seeking permission for the engagement at Zaman Park, but the schedule was not finalized yet. He added that other commitments were also not confirmed and arrangements were being finalized.
According to the same source, after the reception in Gujar Khan, the convoy was to stop for lunch in Jhelum, followed by another important event in Gujrat. The penultimate reception is planned at Shahdrah, while the final reception will take place at Data Darbar. He said activities in Punjab Assembly, Minar-e-Pakistan and other places were also under consideration.
Read: TTAP convoy arrives in Lahore today
Akhunzada Hussain said permission to use Zaman Park as a base was 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 chief Brigadier (retd) Mushtaq, the party’s Punjab in-charge and provincial assembly member, 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 PTI workers were facing repression in several cities.
He said that on Wednesday, a “full fury” of police action was unleashed against PTI leaders and workers in Jhelum, including arrests, ransacking of houses, knocking on doors and harassment. He said the party’s district general secretary’s house was ransacked and the district president was arrested in Jhelum district.
