PTI MPs to hold public assembly outside Adiala Jail today

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) parliamentary party on Monday decided to hold a public assembly today (Tuesday) outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where the party’s founder chairman Imran Khan is incarcerated.

The parliamentary party meeting, held at the Parliament House, was presided over by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and attended by party legislators, including MNAs and senators.

After the meeting, a statement was issued announcing the decision to hold a public assembly outside Adiala Jail and confirming that all party members of the National Assembly and Senate have been directed to participate.

The forum charged that the incumbent government established under “Form 47” has no legal status. It was decided that public issues, including inflation, floods and law and order, would be highlighted at the assembly.

The meeting was informed that PTI patron-in-chief Imran Khan has instructed party leaders to become the voice of the nation and that he has expressed full confidence in the parliamentary party. On this occasion, Senator Barrister Ali Zafar, the party’s parliamentary leader in the Senate, conveyed Imran Khan’s message to the attendees.

Special prayers were offered for the innocent children and women martyred in the recent Tirah Valley incident, and condolences were expressed to the families of the martyrs. “Tribes are being oppressed; we will have to raise our voice together for the tribes. We express sorrow over the loss of life and property due to the recent floods across the country,” the statement said.

Instructions were issued to all members of the assembly to participate fully in relief operations in the flood-affected areas. It was resolved that the people would not be left alone in this hour of difficulty.

However, the meeting expressed dissatisfaction with the ongoing flood relief operations being carried out by the Punjab government across the province. The meeting also expressed concern over the “fake cases” filed against Imran Khan and the party leadership, demanding their immediate termination.

The forum congratulated all members of the assembly and the party leadership, including senators, on the “successful” public meeting held on September 27 in Peshawar.

The party decided to fully participate in the upcoming Supreme Court Bar Association elections and to extend full support to PTI-backed candidates in the bar elections of Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The meeting expressed concern over the current situation in Kashmir. Fateha was also offered for the senior journalists Mazhar Iqbal and Imtiaz Mir. The newly elected senators were also welcomed at the meeting.

Meanwhile, it was learnt that the meeting witnessed bumpy proceedings, as some lawmakers decried the conveying of a one-sided picture of issues to the jailed party leader.

A party source claimed that more party representatives should be facilitated to meet their leader in jail so that a complete picture could be presented to him on certain party matters. MNA Junaid Akbar, who also heads the party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, accused the party’s lawyers of not conveying correct information to the party supremo, which, he said, leads to misunderstanding and confusion.

He insisted that while all assembly members are making sacrifices, only a few lawyers who meet the founder chairman convey wrong information to him. He also claimed that only the positions of a few leaders and a specific group in Adiala Jail are being conveyed to the founding chairman.

The party source also noted that PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja told the meeting that the head of Tehreek Tahafuz Aiyeen e Pakistan, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, and Allama Nasir Abbas Jafri, who is chairman of the MWM, will have full authority to make political decisions related to the opposition concerning the future line of action.