Pakistan: Imran Khan to hold rallies from May 8-14

PTI chairman Imran Khan made the announcement while addressing workers at a rally at Lakshmi Chowk metro station in Lahore held to "support the Constitution, Supreme Court, and the chief justice of Pakistan". Imran Khan's party PTI carried out rallies in four cities - Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, and Peshawar, as per the news report.

While referring to the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N)-led government, Imran Khan said, "It is the entire nation's decision to stand with the Constitution and [against] the way this mafia is putting pressure on and doing propaganda against the chief justice and [other] judges," according to Geo News report.

Imran Khan announced that he would come out and prepare the people to protest if the elections were not held. He said, "When a country's Constitution is violated, it means the justice system and the rule of law have ended. Most of all, it means that the nation has lost its freedom and become slaves." He further said that they will not rest until the elections are conducted and "Pakistan is free."

Speaking about Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's visit to India to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers meeting, Khan said that the way he was treated by his Indian counterpart was a "matter of shame for all of us," as per the news report.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said the "victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism". Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers, Jaishankar slammed Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's "weaponising terrorism" remarks.

The PTI rallies come amid a standoff between the government and the judiciary regarding the date of elections in Punjab. Pakistan Supreme Court has ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold polls for the Punjab Assembly on May 14 and the government to release Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 21 billion in this regard. However, the Pakistan government has failed to release the money despite repeated directives from the apex court.

Earlier this week, talks were held between the PTI and the Pakistan government regarding the election date, as per the Geo News report. However, the negotiations concluded without a consensus being reached. After the end of negotiations, the PTI submitted a report to the apex court requesting it to ensure the implementation of its April 4 verdict to hold polls in Punjab on May 14. (ANI)