PTI to hold demo instead of public meeting on 28th: Imran

RAWALPINDI: Jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan said on Thursday that PTI would hold a demonstration instead of a public meeting in Rawalpindi on September 28.

He said that his party would also withdraw the request for an NOC from the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench. He said, “One month is left for the government to issue the notification of Chief Justice. The people of establishment show the right but hit the left. Raoof Hasan has been misunderstood. All the leadership, including Ali Amin Gandapur, have instructions that there is no benefit in negotiating with the establishment. The extension mafia wants to take illegal extensions.”

Imran Khan rebuffed the claims of his party’s chief spokesperson that the opposition was ready to hold talks with the establishment. Spokesperson Raoof Hasan had claimed that a dialogue between his party and the establishment was inevitable for which PTI was prepared.

Speaking to journalists at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail on Thursday, the PTI founder said there was no use of holding talks with the establishment. He said that Hasan had some misunderstanding, adding that he had given a clear message after the Islamabad power show that his party would not hold talks with anyone.

Earlier, Special Judge Central (SJC) Shahrukh Arjumand set October 2 as the date for the indictment of PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the new Toshakhana case.

On Thursday, Special Judge Arjumand heard the post-arrest bail applications of both Khan and his spouse, who were brought to a makeshift courtroom in Adiala prison.

During the hearing, the defence team completed arguments on the bail applications, while the prosecution requested additional time—a request that met with strong opposition.

Salman Safdar, counsel for the PTI founder, urged the court to rule on the bail application during the same session, saying that the hearing was scheduled at the prosecution’s request.

Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi also addressed the court directly, with the former prime minister appealing for justice. “My wife, Bushra, has nothing to do with this case, yet she remains in jail,” Khan said. “I spend 22 hours a day in a prison cell,” he informed the judge.

Despite the defence’s insistence, the court denied the request and granted the prosecution more time to complete their arguments. The hearing was adjourned until September 28.