The war of the words between the incumbent government and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) continued on Friday with PTI Chairman Imran Khan saying the party would make Pakistan the country it was “meant to be”.

“Pakistan was created in the name of Islam,” he said, addressing a public gathering in Peshawar.

“This is a ‘jihad’ for Pakistan’s future… The state of Madina was based on justice,” he said.

A decision will be made on Nov 2, the PTI chief said, referring to the party’s planned lockdown of the capital.

Imran Khan, during the party’s Raiwind march, threatened to shut down Islamabad after Muharram if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif did not present himself for accountability.

“On one side will be the PTI and the people of Pakistan, and on the other, thieves,” he said.

“On one side, Nawaz Sharif and other big thieves like Asif Zardari, Altaf Hussain, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Asfandyar Wali, and on the other side, PTI and ‘Naya Pakistan’.”

“It will be decided on Nov 2 whether this will be a Pakistan of thieves or the Pakistan of Quaid-i-Azam and Iqbal’s vision.”

The PTI chief chanted slogans of ‘Go Nawaz, go,’ before a cheering crowd.

‘PTI chief was sympathetic to Taliban’

PML-N MNA Daniyal Aziz alleged during a press conference that Imran Khan was sympathetic to the Taliban.

“Imran’s sympathies with the Taliban are not new, he was known as Taliban Khan and actively blocked Nato supply routes which were vital for the war on terror,” said the ruling party’s representative.

He added that Imran was not confident in the ability of the Pakistan Army to tackle the militant threat and wanted to open Taliban offices in all the major cities of Pakistan.

“There are plenty of videos online of Imran speaking against the army and the generals, and these videos are vital on social media,” claimed Aziz.

Earlier today, an Anti-Terrorism Court directed police to implement its orders in relation to the arrest warrants for PTI chief Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehrik chief Tahirul Qadri in a case pertaining to an attack on Pakistan Television (PTV) headquarters in 2014 during the PTI and PAT’s Islamabad sit-ins.

Eyewitnesses said nearly 400 Insafians and PAT workers had stormed the PTV building and forced its staff to take two of the state broadcaster’s flagship channels — PTV News and PTV World — off the air on Sept 1, 2014.

The SC on Friday also changed the date of a hearing on the Panamagate petitions filed against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his family members and others by the PTI, JI and other petitioners to Nov 1, a day before the PTI’s planned protest.

The case had earlier been adjourned for two weeks.