It's better to die than to live as a slave: Imran Khan

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday said it is better to die than to live as a slave in a speech on the third day of his 'Haqeeqi Azadi' march to Islamabad from Muridke in Punjab. 

Imran said those who raise their voice against oppression like journalist Arshad Sharif, are "threatened, sent abroad, and killed, Dawn reported.

"Why? Because they stand on the right path. Sabir Shakir went abroad, why? Because he was threatened."

The former Pakistan PM said he had been urging for 26 years that the country should be "free of slavery from the cruel, the thieves, the Americans".

He said the nation should become that which was the dream of Allama Iqbal and Quaid-e-Azam. 

"We will not conform to this slavery! I am saying this in front of you all that it is better to die than to be a slave of these thieves and the USA, as under them a person dies anyway.

"A slave is a dead person, one can live in jail too but a free person really lives."

In a speech at Muridke, Imran refuted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's claim that he reached out to him to suggest army chief candidates.

The PTI chief also addressed the chief justice by requesting him to bring those who are above the law, back under it.

"They think the law is only for the poor. The powerful bandits get NROs and the poor man goes to jail."

He then drew the crowd's attention to the claims of Shahbaz Gill and Azam Swati's torture in custody.

"In Western society where there is actual democracy, no society can do what happened with Azam and Shahbaz, because there is law there."

Imran launched the long march on Friday in Islamabad to demand early elections, mounting pressure on the Shehbaz Sharif government, which is already in crisis. Khan kicked off the Haqiqi Azadi long march from Lahore's Liberty Chowk to Islamabad.

Khan has already announced that the marchers will reach Islamabad on November 4 to hold a rally for which the government has so far not issued permission.

This is the second such march by Imran this year; first was on May 25 and fizzled out after PTI reached the Red Zone.