Info IT

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Saturday vowed to go ahead with his plans of a lockdown of the capital on 2 November, 2016.

Talking to reporters near his Bani Gala residence, Khan advised PTI supporters to travel in groups, saying when they arrive in small numbers the police "puts them in jail".

He also hinted to PTI supporters that instead of taking the main route where police is stationed, they should opt for hidden routes to arrive at the site.

Reiterating his plans to put up a grand show in Islamabad on Nov 2 to seek accountability of the prime minister Khan said: "This is Nawaz Sharifs dictatorship, not a democracy... we will show Nawaz Sharif on Nov 2 what democracy is."

A day after PTI workers skirmished with police in twin cities and scores of protesters were taken into custody, Khan came out of his residence to meet hundreds of supporters who have come to support him parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.

He asked the supporters, many of whom set up camps and spent the night near the PTI chiefs residence, about their comfort and directed his party managers to ensure their well being.

Breakfast for the supporters was prepared in large cauldrons. Some PTI workers did warm-up exercises and push-ups in the morning.

Meanwhile, life returned to normal in Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Saturday, as the previous days crowds dispersed. Traffic flowed as usual although police contingents remained deployed in sensitive areas.

PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi has accused the government of blocking routes in KP and Punjab which lead to Islamabad.

"The government is blocking Attock bridge and Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway," he said while talking to DawnNews. "This is a clear violation of court orders."

He said the Punjab government itself "locked down Rawalpindi, shut the Metro, schools and routes for ambulances but we are being blamed for the lockdown".

"Containers are being placed but the people’s spirits are rising everyday."

He urged PTI supporters to reach for the "peaceful protest at any cost".

Imran Khan remained under virtual house arrest at his Bani Gala residence on Friday as police teargassed and baton-charged scores of PTI’s workers before bundling them into prison vans in the twin cities.

Later in the evening, the PTI chief emerged from his residence for a brief period along with other party leaders only to tell the media that no government action would deter him from staging the Nov 2 lockdown of Islamabad.

“Wait for Nov 2, a PTI tsunami will sweep even a contingent of 50,000 policemen to D-Chowk,” Khan said. It appeared to be the first indication that the PTI might reach the place located in front of Parliament House where it had staged a sit-in for three months in 2014.

Intermittent clashes between PTI workers and the police took place on different spots in the twin cities. A hide-and-seek between the police and protesters that began after Friday’s prayer, continued till night.

PTI and the government have locked horns since the names of members of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs family appeared in the Panama Papers leaks.

After months of verbal duels between the parties, Imran Khan announced plans to lay siege on the capital on Nov 2, and vowed to stay put until Prime Minister Nawaz resigns or presents himself for accountability in the backdrop of the Panama Papers scandal.

The government remains adamant that it will not allow the PTI to shut down Islamabad and action will be taken against the party according to law if it challenges the writ of the state.