KARACHI: Tehreek-e-Tahafuz Aayeen-e-Pakistan’s (TTAP’s) central leaders said Sunday the supremacy of the Constitution was necessary to smoothly run the affairs of the country.
Speaking at Meet-the-Press programme at the Karachi Press Club, they said the country had been in a perennial state of crisis because its affairs were being managed by “illegitimate” rulers. They reiterated their resolve to continue with their struggle for the supremacy of the Constitution in the country.
Mahmood Khan Achakzai told media persons that Pakistan had been a developing nation but the country’s progress had halted after its reins came into the hands of “illegitimate” rulers. He said the process of development in the country could only be resumed if its affairs were well managed as per the Constitution. He said the component parties of TTAP stand united for the restoration of constitutional rule in the country. He claimed that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was the bona fide winner of the last general elections in the country. “In the present scenario, the one who speaks the truth and stops others from speaking lies is termed a traitor,” he said.
PTI’s Central Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said free and fair elections would ensure the supremacy of the Constitution in the country. Raja told media persons that he had been in close contact with Imran Khan for the past three years and the former premier held the firm viewpoint that the future of Pakistan lay in democracy. He said Khan would never enter into any deal with the rulers. He demanded that the prestige and fundamental rights of masses should be restored, adding free and fair elections would brighten the future of the country.
He further said privacy and sanctity of the people were being constantly violated in the country and added such incidents were brazenly occurring in Punjab.
Raja said they had been inviting all the concerned quarters to wage a united struggle for the supremacy of the Constitution, restoration of democratic rule in the country and protection of fundamental rights of the people. He told journalists that Khan’s resolve had been unwavering in this regard. He said the 2024 general elections were “rigged” in an unprecedented manner and lamented the sealing of PTI offices by the government.
PTI leader Sardar Latif Khosa alleged that unarmed protesters had been fired upon on November 26. He held Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister, Khawaja Asif and Inspector General of Punjab Police responsible for these excesses. He claimed that the country was being run in a fascist manner without constitutional rule. He also rejected the recent Peca amendments, saying the PTI founder had sent a letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan for the same cause.
Chairman of Sunni Ittehad Council Shahibzada Hamid Raza said they had not been provided with the CCTV camera footage of the November 26 violent incidents. He alleged that the present rulers used to speak blatant lies. He opined that the PTI founder had sent a letter to the CJP as per the Constitution.
PTI leader Asad Qaiser said that no drone attack had occurred in the country during the PTI’s past regime while Pakistan had friendly relations with Afghanistan. He claimed that a troubling situation had been persisting in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to the “ill-advised” foreign policy of the country. He recalled that the past PTI regime had promoted trade ties with Afghanistan.
Rejecting the recently adopted amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), the TTAP leaders said all the quarters concerned should get united to wage a unified struggle against the present government, which had “stifled” the freedom of expression in the country. They assured the media fraternity in the country of lending fullest support at every forum within and outside the parliament for their current movement against Peca tweaks.