Lahore: Former prime minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Central Punjab President Raja Pervez Ashraf on Saturday said that the party’s long march towards Islamabad in February would weigh heavily on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, and claimed it would achieve its goal.

He expressed these views at a press conference in which the traders’ leadership of the city joined the PPP in huge number, hoping that party chairman Bilawal Bhutto would steer the country out of a crisis-like situation.

Those who joined the party include Lahore Traders Association President Hafiz Sajjad, Patron-in-Chief Dr Sohail Ikram, Lahore Anjuman-e-Tajran Chairman Imran Khan, G-1 Market President Malik Faiz, and others.

Speaking on the occasion, Ashraf welcomed the traders’ leadership into the party fold, saying that all the sections of society would have to play their role in the development of the country. He said all should join hands against inflation and unemployment and expressed hope that a new era of progress and economic prosperity will soon start.

According to Ashraf, the PPP would take out a countrywide tractor-trolley march on January 24, followed by a long march on February 27 which would prove a turning point in the politics of the country.

He said the party would welcome everyone ready to join the long march, adding that the PPP would stage as many protests as required to take the country out of the crisis.