After four-day journey, 'Azadi march' lands in capital.

Byline: Syed Irfan Raza

ISLAMABAD -- After a four-day journey from Karachi, the Azadi march, led by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, finally reached the federal capital on Thursday and encamped at a vast roadside area near the Peshawar Mor interchange.

Before the march entered Islamabad, the JUI-F chief announced that the marchers would also stage a sit-in without telling whether it would be held at the particular place earmarked for the marchers' camp or the protesters would proceed to D-Chowk where the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had staged a four-month-long sit-in in 2014 when it was in opposition.

Shortly before the arrival of the main caravan, a rally of the Awami National Party (ANP), led by its president Asfandyar Wali, also reached the venue of the joint opposition's show of strength, from Peshawar, demanding resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan for what it called 'pushing the country into the worst economic crisis'.

JUI-F chief insists that marchers will also stage sit-in Fazl, Shahbaz to address public gathering today Govt warns protesters against 'challenging state's writ'

Later, Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari visited the main camp of marchers and addressed them, saying all opposition parties had gathered at one platform to give a clear message to Prime Minister Khan that the time had come for him to step down.

Calling PM Khan a 'puppet', he said the nation was not ready to bow its head before a 'selected' prime minister and 'those who have selected him'. 'We are not ready to bow before any selector or dictator... The hub of power is people and not the state.'

Other prominent opposition leaders who spoke on the occasion were Asfandyar Wali, Ahsan Iqbal and Khawaja Asif of the PML-N and Qaumi Watan Party leader Aftab Sherpao.

The managers of the Azadi march will organise a public meeting after Friday prayers which will be addressed by Maulana Fazl and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president Shahbaz Sharif.

Before reaching Islamabad, the marchers had a long stopover of 10 hours in Gujar Khan amid speculation that they could change their route after entering Islamabad. On this, a senior official of the local administration rushed to Gujar Khan, met Maulana Fazl and convinced him to stick to their previous route plan.

Govt reaction

Interior Minister retired Brig Ijaz Shah and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAMP) on information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan spoke at a joint press...