ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan has said that they will celebrate the true independence of Pakistan in Lahore on August 13 and tell the nation how real freedom is obtained.

In a speech to a minority convention, Imran Khan said Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had signed the Madina Pact with non-Muslims “which proves that a humane society is created when people have humanistic values.”

“The country cannot move forward until justice prevails. A society can never prosper without the rule of law. Everyone, including rich and poor, must have equal human rights,” he added. He lamented that the absence of rule of law was one of the biggest problems in Pakistan.

Speaking about his upcoming rally in Lahore, the former premier told the gathering that on August 13, his party would celebrate “real freedom” and give a message to minorities that they were equal citizens of Pakistan. He added that he would also unveil the future course of action on how to achieve “true freedom”.

Talking about the alleged forced conversion of Hindu girls, particularly in Sindh, the PTI chairman emphasized that there was no compulsion in the religion and when a Muslim does so, he goes against the religion and command of Allah. “We will oppose forced conversion of girls to Islam by following the religion.”

Imran Khan said that he had named his party the Movement for Justice so that “we could ensure justice and I am including the whole nation in my party. Unless justice is done, our country will not move forward. When a system protects your rights, society develops; so today our war is to get justice. And the struggle is against a small group, the elite capture, which loots national wealth and then seeks an NRO to end corruption cases against it.”

He contended that the movement for justice was going on and it was a struggle for real freedom and real freedom comes to people when the justice system of a country liberates the people and powerful and weak are treated equally before the law. “Human society moves forward only when there is justice and humanity in it,” he contended.

Talking about the minorities, he said that Quaid-e-Azam was called the ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity and in his early politics, he tried to get freedom from the British but feared that there were some people in the Congress who did not want freedom for all minorities because they were only asking for freedom for Hindus. “This is where the differences started because he feared that we would move out of the slavery of British into the slavery of Hindus. We consider all minorities in our country as equal citizens and Pakistan was created for it,” he noted.

“On August 13, we will celebrate true freedom and send a message to all minorities that you are an equal citizen of Pakistan,” he added. Imran said that the wife of Shahbaz Gill’s driver Izhar had been picked up last night, and none cared what would happen to their young daughter.

Meanwhile, Imran Khan tweeted, “The imported government of cabal of crooks brought through foreign-backed regime change is using fear and terror in the media and people to gain acceptance after being routed in Punjab elections. But all they are succeeding in doing is further destabilising the country. The only solution is fair and free elections.”