ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s party is struggling to select a suitable venue for a gathering of thousands of protesters in Rawalpindi on November 26 as part of his movement to push the government for early elections.
The ex-premier announced a day earlier that caravans of his supporters from up and down the country would reach Rawalpindi, but Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has yet to select a suitable venue for the gathering of thousands of protesters.
The party has also not yet decided whether the protesters would disperse after the rally or stage a sit-in to mount pressure on PM Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government to announce snap polls.
“Instructions have been issued for the selection of venue and preparations for the gathering,” Khan said in a statement on Sunday.
“The targets have been assigned for preparation of the historic march in Rawalpindi,” he said.
Khan has been recovering at his Lahore home from gunshot wounds he received on November 3, when his protest caravan was sprayed with bullets in Wazirabad city on way to the capital. One of the protesters died while Khan among 10 others sustained injuries in the gun attack.
The ex-premier began his long march towards Islamabad from Lahore late last month. The second phase of the march, led by Khan’s affiliates, culminated in Rawat, a town some 20 kilometers away from Rawalpindi, on Saturday, where the former prime minister called on his supporters to gather in Rawalpindi on November 26.
Khan has been successful in putting pressure on the government through his mass mobilization campaign, but it seems difficult for him to achieve the desired results, according to political analysts.
“Imran Khan’s campaign against the government has been successful, but as for the early elections, it seems like the elections would be held on time,” Sohail Warraich told Arab News.
He said the government's coalition partners were divided over the option of early elections, therefore Khan might not get the desired results from his protest march.
“The ruling coalition lacks consensus on the issue of early elections, though Khan is on the campaign trail,” Warraich added.
PM Sharif’s government has rejected Khan’s demand for early elections, saying polls will be held on time in October next year.
“Khan’s party has failed to achieve both short-term and long-term goals through the protest march,” Adnan Rehmat, another political analyst, told Arab News.
He explained Khan wanted to have a sway over the appointment of the next army chief in the short term and get early polls in the long term through his public mobilization drive, but he has failed to get hold of both.
“Now the best face-saving for Khan’s party could be that they stay in Rawalpindi or Islamabad for a couple of days and then disperse peacefully,” Rehmat added.
The appointment of the new army chief has been in the spotlight as Khan, who was ousted in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in April, insists the unelected government of PM Sharif, cobbled together through a parliamentary vote after his removal, does not have the right to appoint a new chief.
Khan says the crucial selection should be made by the elected government after new polls are held.
Since his ouster, Khan has also criticized the army, and its chief, for not blocking the move, which he says was part of a United States-backed “foreign conspiracy.” Washington and Khan’s opponents deny the allegation.
