LAHORE - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice-President Fawad Chaudhry said Sunday that the only solution to current political crisis was implementation on Constitution The PTI leader’s comments came during a press conference at the Lahore Press Club where the party’s leadership spoke about their workers being arrested ahead of yesterday’s gathering at Lahore’s Minar-e-Pakistan. He added that notices were being handed out by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE). Fawad, flanked by PTI’s Secretary General Asad Umar, claimed that 2,000 people were arrested in the ongoing wave of arrests of his party’s workers. “People are being picked and rendered missing from Lahore. Azhar Mashwani went missing. It has been three days.” The politician asserted that there was no room for enforced disappearances in Pakistan. Commenting on the “government’s steps to curtail the PTI’s power show” a day earlier, the PTI stalwart added that the “entire city was blocked with containers. The entry and exit routes of Lahore were closed.”
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A day ago, PTI Chairman Imran Khan praised his party’s supporters for showing up at the rally’s venue Minar-e-Pakistan, saying that despite all kinds of obstacles, people, in large numbers, arrived to attend the rally. “Those in power must know that [blocking the roads and pathways with shipping] containers cannot stop people who want true independence,” he explained, adding that fear was spread to frustrate the public meeting. During the presser, the former information minister accused Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah of “operating a gang” while questioning him about his politics. Sharing his opinion regarding the letter written by President Arif Alvi to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the party’s senior vice-president said: “Not a single answer has been given to the question raised by the president.” Fawad mockingly said, “The content of the letter shows how small a man Shehbaz Sharif is. The president advised the prime minister to follow the constitution but the PM gave an incomprehensible reply.”
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The premier, in his response, wrote to President Alvi that his letter read like a PTI press release which is “blatantly partisan in nature” and supports the Imran Khan-led party’s “one-sided and anti-government” views. Fawad, meanwhile, said that all eyes were now on the country’s top court. He added that the government was now doing politics based on fear. “We are asking you to do your own politics and let us do ours too.” Fawad speaking to the media said, “It seems that Nazis are ruling Pakistan. The people of Pakistan cannot tolerate such disrespect anymore. There is concern about Pakistan in the international community due to human rights violation in the country. The way this government is running the country, they will again place Pakistan on the FATF greylist. Fawad further maintained that human rights abuses by rulers might lead to sanctions against Pakistan by international community. Commenting on flour shortage in the country he said, people were standing in long queues to get flour and many people had lost their lives. Speaking about the alleged abduction of Azhar Mashwani and other party workers he said, Mashwani and Shahid Hussain both were missing. Mashwani had been missing for three days. “We don’t know anything about him ever since he was abducted on Thursday. This is not acceptable at all,” he said. Fawad reiterated that forced disappearances will not be allowed to continue in Pakistan.
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Fawad expressed gratitude to people of Lahore and said, the word of thanks is small for the people of Lahore regarding participation at Minar-e- Pakistan public gathering. Despite 3,000 raids and 2000 arrests, routes leading towards gathering were sealed, a people in large number attended the gathering, he added