Gandapur's arrest govt's attempt to show PTI members as slaves: Imran Khan

• "We have to get justice," Khan tells workers.
• He asks workers to stop fearing and become "leaders".
• He says party’s fight in Pakistan is that of "haqeeqi azadi".

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Saturday deplored the arrest of his party leader Ali Amin Gandapur, terming the government's actions as an attempt to depict the party's members as "slaves".

Addressing his party's workers at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, the PTI chief said: “Now Ali Amin has been arrested to depict us as slaves."

Gandapur was taken into custody, on Thursday, by the police in Dera Ismail Khan in a case relating to an audio tape of him purportedly threatening authorities and the police against the possible arrest of the party chief.

In the audio, the PTI leader had reportedly threatened to siege Islamabad if the former prime minister is arrested.

A local court, on Friday, sent Gandapur to central jail on six-day judicial remand, ensuring his presence in separate cases filed by Islamabad and Punjab police.

Khan, meanwhile, urged his workers to seek justice against the wrongs being committed by the government.

“We have to get justice. The nation has to prepare for the war for freedom. The facilitators have imposed a gang of thieves considering us slaves,” he said.

The former prime minister, who was voted out of office following a no-confidence motion last April, reminded his supporters about the attack on his house last month.

Urging his workers to gear up against the injustices meted out to his party members, Khan said: “We are all leaders because we are the best of the creation. We do not test our abilities mainly because of fear.”

Taking a jibe at Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, the 70-year-old cricketer-turned-politician said that a leader is not afraid. “A coward doesn’t become a leader, they become Nawaz Sharif.”

He added that his party’s fight in Pakistan is that of "haqeeqi azadi (true freedom)".

Addressing his workers, the PTI chief said that Allah has blessed humans with immense abilities. “I am not an Islamic scholar. I have learnt everything from my life.”

Khan added that the revolution brought by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was never again witnessed anywhere in the world. “The Prophet of Allah (PBUH) gave freedom and ensured equality in the society by providing justice.”

Ever since Khan was ousted last year with the then-opposition replacing his administration in the centre through a coalition government, the former premier has been reiterating that his party has faced severe human rights violations and immense injustice and has consistently asked for fresh elections to be held hoping to regain power.

For the past several months since an attempted assassination attack on him in November last year, the PTI chairman has been demanding snap polls in the country with the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led set-up categorically insisting against it citing economic turmoil in the country.

Owing to his demands, his party also dissolved assemblies in provinces where it was in power to pressurise the federal government into conducting polls. 

Amid controversial Supreme Court orders, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued a schedule to conduct elections in Punjab on May 14, while the PTI has also filed a plea seeking a date for polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa too.