PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said on Tuesday that punishments and disqualifications were happening in abundance these days, but such actions were not a solution to any problem.
“Everyone may have made mistakes, but those mistakes should be healed, not compounded,” he told the media at the Peshawar High Court after appearing as counsel for PTI leaders Omar Ayub Khan and Shibli Faraz.
He said the country had never been as divided as it is today, and if the largest political party was not heard, it would pose serious dangers to the country and democracy. Barrister Gohar added that “notification and de-notification season” was currently in full swing.
“We believe punishments and disqualifications are no solution. None of us are angels; mistakes have happened, but one mistake should not be followed by another. You cannot clap with one hand - everyone must sit together to find solutions to the country’s problems,” he remarked.
The PTI chairman claimed the party had never witnessed such damage and division before. “We won 180 seats in the February 8 elections, sat in the assembly with 91 seats, and today we are down to 76 seats. Around 70 percent of the public stands with PTI,” he asserted.
He described PTI’s founding chairman as the most popular leader in the country, saying the party was now the sixth largest political party in the world. “If the public’s voice is ignored and their mandate is not respected, it will have serious consequences for the country and democracy,” he warned.
Barrister Gohar called for an end to disqualifications and injustices. “I urge everyone to come to their senses. This is not in the country’s interest. Political issues should be resolved politically through dialogue,” he said.
He accused the authorities of discrimination, adding that all political parties had conducted intra-party elections and the Election Commission of Pakistan had accepted the results of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan People’s Party, Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan and others, but rejected PTI’s despite it being “the most transparent”.
The PTI chairman said eight PTI MNAs had been disqualified in an act of injustice. “In the general elections, 167 parties took part, but only 14 have representation in the House - eight in government and six in opposition - and all of them combined received 30 million votes, the same number PTI received alone,” he claimed.
Barrister Gohar said PTI would celebrate Independence Day on August 14 while also raising its voice for the release of its founding chairman. He welcomed the acquittal of Shah Mehmood Qureshi in two cases but noted that other cases were still pending. “May he be released soon so he can resume his responsibilities, as he has made great sacrifices alongside the founder,” he added.
