On What Grounds Does PTI Believe Imran Khan's Release Will Be Soon? Sheikh Waqas Akram Explains
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00:00In the first part, we will talk about the government.
00:02We will talk about the opposition.
00:03Sheikh Waqas Akram is with us.
00:05Secretary of Information, PTI.
00:06Assalam-o-Alaikum.
00:07Assalam-o-Alaikum.
00:08Sheikh sahib, tell us, today, you used to say that it will happen after a week or two.
00:16Then, the fights started in the parties.
00:18There were group fights.
00:19You said that it happens in the parties.
00:22Today, Aleema Bibi has made Mr. Panjota fly.
00:26Lawyers are also being scolded.
00:28Tell me, when all those clips have gone viral,
00:31when there are so many internal rifts happening,
00:35and on the other hand, the government has secured all its pegs,
00:40be it investigations or judicial matters, all the processes are in their hands.
00:46So, the party doesn't seem to be in a position to run a big movement.
00:51And if the movement doesn't run, how will Imran Khan come out?
00:56First of all, the specific incident that you are talking about,
01:01is not an example of an internal rift.
01:04Aleema Khan Sahiba, our elder sister, is in jail in Adiala.
01:10We have a lot of respect for her.
01:12We listen to her as well.
01:13She has a younger brother, Mr. Panjota.
01:15Whenever there is a gathering, when Mr. Khan is presented,
01:21maybe he thought it appropriate that the people who are responsible,
01:25who have work, like Mr. Panjota is a focal person,
01:28he is responsible, Salman Sardar is responsible,
01:31the rest of the people who have work, they should be given priority.
01:34So, in that regard, she is a big sister.
01:37If she talks like this with our younger brother,
01:40I don't think this is an internal rift.
01:42They are one team.
01:43They are all working for Imran Khan.
01:45Humans, sir, have fatigue.
01:48There are daily confrontations.
01:49Who comes from which city?
01:50Who comes from which city?
01:51Then they don't let us meet.
01:53They humiliate us.
01:54They insult us.
01:55Even the lawyers in Adiala.
01:56In Adiala, there is an elderly woman.
01:59Many times, there are such exchanges.
02:06There are gossips as well.
02:07It's only human.
02:08So, I don't think this is an internal rift.
02:11It just happened by itself.
02:13What is this, sir?
02:14The media has blown it out of context.
02:16We are seeing it in the evening.
02:17I don't know if a rocket launcher went off.
02:20I don't know what happened.
02:21There is no effect.
02:22It just happened by itself.
02:24Tell me one thing.
02:25Till November 26, something was happening every day.
02:29There was an activity.
02:30And it seemed that you had momentum.
02:32Agitational momentum, as it is called.
02:34Now we have come to February.
02:36Then there were talks that it will happen after Ramadan.
02:38There will be a grand alliance.
02:39I can see a pattern.
02:41There will be a long drawn-out war.
02:45I don't see any relief on the horizon.
02:49I don't see any judicial relief.
02:51I don't see any other political relief.
02:53I don't see any other political relief.
02:55The powers that be are not ready to talk to you.
03:01I am just saying, where is your political rainbow?
03:05On what do you say that Mr. Khan can come out a year or a year and a half ago?
03:10Because the ground realities are very worrisome from your perspective.
03:18Look, sir, the thing is that the massacre on the 26th,
03:22Article 245 was put in place by the Prime Minister.
03:25After that, obviously, the situation did not go well.
03:30And it was not like it was before the 26th.
03:31Martyrs were killed.
03:325,780 people were arrested, of which 1,300 people are still in jails.
03:37In the jails of Attock and Jhelum, sometimes 5, sometimes 10, sometimes 15 people are being released in this way.
03:42More than 100 bullets were wounded.
03:45After that, you must have seen that there was a protest on 8th February.
03:48And there were flash protests in every district.
03:51You know that Punjab is a dictatorship regime type situation.
03:55Despite that, a few people died in every district.
03:59Despite this, the terror that we spread on the 26th,
04:02they thought that the voices have been silenced forever.
04:05Under the guidance of Mr. Khan,
04:07we are trying to move towards a Grand Opposition Alliance,
04:10in which there has been an agreement,
04:13but we are trying to shape up that agreement towards unity,
04:17so that all those voices in our practical struggle,
04:21which are pro-democracy, pro-human rights, pro-rule of law,
04:25can be silenced.
04:27And after that, an effective action should be taken,
04:30whether it is on the streets.
04:32You can see that in the Punjab Assembly, KP Assembly, National Assembly,
04:37a lot of protests have started again.
04:40It is the month of Ramadan.
04:43As much as you want, Mr. Sheikh,
04:46as much as you want, the structure will not change.
04:50There will be noise, there will be headlines, everything will happen.
04:53I am saying that I can see that this is what is happening right now.
04:57How long do you see a dynamic or a decisive shift in this?
05:03Now, the government is compelled to talk to us.
05:07In the current situation,
05:09it seems that there is no pressure on the government powers that be to talk to you.
05:13Sir, look, the thing is,
05:15obviously, how will the government feel the pressure?
05:19The government has been doing its work.
05:25And those testimonies also want to come out.
05:28And the way people are being humiliated,
05:31I come to your question.
05:33The fact is, sir, that a worker and a diehard of Khan was coming out,
05:39the number of voters of Khan is in millions.
05:42As long as the public at large, public in general,
05:45Mr. Malik, does not become part of this protest of Imran Khan,
05:50of this peaceful protest.
05:52Obviously, until then, we will have to try hard,
05:56we will have to try again and again.
05:58And once we are successful,
06:00that Imran Khan's voted bar comes out in general,
06:03and becomes part of a protest,
06:05that would be the day.
06:07They do not have an hour.
06:09Look, I agree with you if people come out.
06:12But when your diehard worker cannot come out,
06:15then do not expect a common voter.
06:17He will vote for you, he can come for you.
06:20But tell me one thing,
06:22Mr. Khan had appealed to stop the remittances,
06:25reduce them, whatever.
06:27Today, the government is shouting on the roof,
06:30that the remittances this month are unprecedented.
06:33Okay, I agree that this is the month of Ramadan,
06:36Eid is coming, people have to give money, everything.
06:39But till now, we have not seen a decrease in remittances,
06:42since the appeal was given.
06:44And this is being flagged,
06:46that the expats, your biggest support base,
06:49they were also understood, and still are.
06:51But, they are not responding to this call.
06:54So are people losing hope now?
06:56That Imran Khan will not come out,
06:58it will go on for a long time,
07:00so they should spoil their own things.
07:02No, sir, not at all.
07:04During the last year and a half,
07:06according to a report,
07:081 million people have migrated from Pakistan.
07:11Skilled migration has happened.
07:13People with degrees, people with skills, people with money,
07:16they have left from here,
07:18those who did not have a livelihood,
07:20they have left from here.
07:22When suddenly 1.8 million people
07:24leave Pakistan and go abroad,
07:26then they also send money.
07:28That is a very big push.
07:30Obviously, they did not take all their families with them,
07:33but left Pakistan for the safety of their families.
07:36They do not have any shame.
07:38They should be ashamed that 1.8 million people
07:40because of their policies,
07:42because of the current situation in Pakistan,
07:44have left the country,
07:46because there are no jobs, there are no opportunities.
07:48They are going to the wedding of this matter,
07:50that Imran Khan did a few remittances,
07:52but all of them died.
07:54I don't think this is their victory.
07:56This is a technical victory.
07:58The expats who are there,
08:00slowly, slowly,
08:02Mr. Khan said to limit it.
08:04You will remember 10-15%.
08:06Because Mr. Khan also had an idea
08:08that there are people's homes,
08:10and Eid is coming ahead, Ramadhan is also there.
08:12So, God willing, after Ramadhan,
08:14we are seeing these things catching momentum.
08:16By then, our Grand Opposition Alliance
08:18will also shape up,
08:20its alignment will also come in front.
08:22Obviously, when you do planning,
08:24a person thinks,
08:26okay, if these things come by this time,
08:28then we are on track.
08:30In your opinion,
08:32people should come to the streets,
08:34and create an atmosphere,
08:36to the point that people can come to the streets.
08:38What is your timeline?
08:40Do you think that by next winter,
08:42if we come to the streets,
08:44it will be a great success,
08:46or have you not calculated a timeline yet?
08:48No, sir, the thing is that
08:50we have been bringing people to the streets.
08:52For us, bringing people to the streets
08:54is not an issue.
08:56We have done the biggest mobilizations
08:58in the history of Pakistan,
09:00with the support of the PPP party.
09:02The purpose is not just this.
09:04Sir, let's talk about post-November.
09:06I am talking about post-November,
09:08not pre-November.
09:10Sir, when Justin Khan's call comes,
09:12that there is an update,
09:14our people will come out,
09:16they will come out from the streets.
09:18Khan has made a lot of changes,
09:20a lot of new people have come,
09:22a lot of old people have also been activated.
09:24People will come out,
09:26they will come out again.
09:28Okay, last 10 seconds.
09:30There is a lot of talk going on.
09:32Is there any discussion going on?
09:34No, sir, there is no discussion.
09:36Are you not doing it, or are the others not doing it?
09:40No one is doing it,
09:42no one is doing it,
09:44no one is doing it.
09:46Okay, Sheikh sahab,
09:48thank you very much for your time.