PTI Kicks Off Lahore Shutdown

NEW DELHI: A week following protests in Faisalabad that led to the death of one Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) worker and a peaceful, partial shutdown of Karachi, the PTI’s “Plan C” takes on Lahore today.

As the protests Faisalabad turned violent as PTI protesters clashed with police and Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) workers, the latter two have been asked by the government to not intervene as long as the protests remain peaceful. PTI’s Imran Khan has assured that they will, using the Karachi protests as an example.

Meanwhile, members of PML-N and PTI’s negotiating teams met “informally” on Sunday and exchanged documents aimed at making the next round of talks between the two sides more result oriented. This exchange follows an announcement by Khan that the PTI had drawn up a Memorandum of Understanding that will be tabled before the government as the talks resume.

Khan, whose supporters are asking for a commission to look into allegations of fraud regarding the 2013 national elections, has said that he will call off the nationwide shutdown -- scheduled for December 18 -- if this demand is met.

The PTI, joined by Tahirul Qadri’s Pakistani Awami Tehreek (PAT) , began their protests by calling for Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s resignation, with the country witnessing widespread unrest as the two parties organised protests beginning on the country’s Independence Day, August 14.

The Pakistani government, in turn, rejects the allegations, and has stated that it is opposed to an “unconstitutional” transfer of power. The government has said that whilst it is willing to talk to the PTI, protests and dialogue cannot go hand-in-hand. Addressing a meeting of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, Information Minister Pervez Rashid said “protests and talks cannot go together.” Rashid asked the PTI leadership to ensure that the "atmosphere [is] conducive for the resumption of dialogue".

Responding to this statement, PTI leader Arif Alvi (as quoted in India Today) said, “The atmosphere has been conducive to talks for past many months as there has been no violence or any unconstitutional act committed by the PTI.”