ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan Monday said that their request is that their leader Imran Khan’s cases should be run like other cases.
“Lawyers, media and the public should have access to these cases too, these are open trials as per the orders of the Islamabad High Court,” he maintained while talking to the media outside Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, where he had gone to meet the party founder Imran Khan but could not.
He said that running the trial at a fast pace creates doubts and suspicions and the way Imran Khan’s trial was conducted raises questions about the independent judiciary, and the “public’s trust in the judiciary is decreasing”.
PTI chairman said that the bail of the party supremo and Bushra Bibi in the 190 million pound case has been delayed for eight months, saying, “We raise questions related to the open trial on every date and every hearing”.
He denied in categorical terms Imran’s sisters had any contact with the agencies and insisted that there could not be any suspicion like this what to talk of a connection but noted that there could be misunderstanding in understanding or saying things.
“It is unfortunate that inside news comes out and then such allegations are made, Imran Khan has made it clear that such things should be avoided on inside matters and what happened should not be discussed further,” he explained.
He said that his party has a clear stance that terrorism should end. He said Ali Amin Gandapur will remain the KP chief minister as long as he has the trust of the party founder. In response to a question, Gohar said that he was not aware of the policy regarding closing the X account of his incarcerated leader.
Separately, it has been learnt that a joint meeting of PTI’s parliamentary party of the National Assembly and the Senate has approved the appointment of the opposition alliance leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai as the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and MWM Chief Allama Nasir Abbas as the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate.
Meanwhile, PTI took strong exception to the ‘bizarre and unwarranted’ remarks made by Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman against ‘unlawfully’ incarcerated PTI founder, denouncing them as absurd, ill-intentioned, and a blatant attempt to appease the establishment.
Reacting to Hafiz Naeem’s remarks, PTI, in a statement issued by its Central Media Department, asserted that Imran Khan remains the only Pakistani leader who has consistently taken a clear, uncompromising, and courageous stance against Israel and its local collaborators.
“No other political figure in the country, the statement added, has demonstrated such steadfast and bold support for the Palestinian cause as Imran Khan, while Nawaz Sharif has remained tight-lipped, not uttering a single word against the Israeli genocide in Palestine. Yet, the Jamaat-e-Islami Amir has not even been permitted to speak against him,” the statement reads.
“It reflects the peak of political dishonesty and intellectual servitude that Hafiz Naeem deems it appropriate to question the faith, dignity, and unwavering commitment to the Palestinian cause of a national leader who remains unjustly imprisoned,” the statement said.
The statement reads that just a few months ago, Hafiz Naeem had personally met with Gohar in connection with the Palestine march. At that time, PTI not only extended its unconditional support but also actively participated in JI’s initiative.
Meanwhile, PTI has slammed the Punjab government for its persistent ‘anti-farmer’ policies, declaring that it would not abandon the farming community in this difficult time despite the state’s policies of suppression and oppression.
PTI Central Information Secretary, Waqas Akram who also serves as the organiser of the party’s Farmers Wing, reaffirmed that PTI stands firmly with Punjab’s farmers to secure their rights, ensure fair crop pricing, and push for meaningful agricultural reforms.
He said this policy of farmers’ disregard severely damaged the agricultural sector and multiplied the miseries of farmers, which was intolerable and unacceptable. Waqas stated that farmers, already struggling to survive in the aftermath of devastating floods, were being deliberately pushed further to the brink.