Imran Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has on Saturday asked his workers and supporters to prepare for “Jail Bharo Tehreek” (Movement to Fill Jails) across the country.

In a televised address, the former Prime Minister announced the movement as the next step to be taken by the PTI in light of the prevailing political situation that has seen several of its top leaders and allies spend time behind bars.

“We have two options: Considering what they have been doing, we could have gone for a wheel-jam strike and demonstrations — which is one option and a democratic one.”

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However, Imran Khan said that because the state of the economy will worsen with a strike, “I ask all my workers, the Pakistani nation and everyone to prepare for the Jail Bharo Tehreek.”

This way, he said, the federal government’s “new hobby” of putting every senior PTI leader in jail will also be fulfilled.

“The entire party and the people should prepare for the Jail Bharo Tehreek”, Imran said. “Whenever I give the signal, we all will get out and get arrested by the authorities.”

Khan claimed his party never committed such atrocities in its tenure as the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government in the centre has.

“Fawad Chaudhry was picked up from home at 3am. What did Shandana Gulzar do that made her a terrorist? As the court gives bail to Sheikh Rasheed, more cases are being filed against him,” the PTI chairman said, insisting that action has been taken against every person who called out the regime change.

The former prime minister said human rights violations have continued since the “imported government” arrived.

“No example can be found for the way Shehbaz Gill was tortured. The effects of the torture are still there,” Khan said.

Speaking about the attempted assassination attack that left him injured, the PTI chairman said he couldn’t get the FIR of his choice registered despite being a former prime minister. However, he said, 60 FIRs were filed against him.

Imran pinned the responsibility of rising terrorism on incumbent Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as he recalled the sacrifices made by the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the war on terror.

“Look at the graph of terrorism and how it came down during the PTI government,” he said. “Why wasn’t there any terrorism when PTI was in the federal government?”

“This is why they (KP public) came out yesterday and thronged the streets in fear that there might be another operation,” he said, adding that countless innocent lives are lost during anti-terror operations.