Despite IHC orders: PTI leaders say denied meeting with Imran

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Thursday said that despite the Islamabad High Court (IHC) orders, they were denied an important meeting with the party’s founder chairman in Adiala jail.

Talking to the media outside the jail in Rawalpindi, they strongly condemned the jail authorities for disallowing them a meeting with their leader which was “their constitutional and political right”. They complained that they were asked to wait for three hours and then sent back without the meeting.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub charged that they had refused to give an undertaking to the jail administration that there would be no political discussion with Imran Khan, only then they could meet him. “We are ready to give this undertaking only if the heads of all institutions also give undertaking on a stamp paper that they would not interfere in the political process,” he contended.

Ayub alleged that the jail administration, intelligence agencies and federal and provincial governments wanted this undertaking. He added a very important meeting was due with Imran and noted PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Secretary General Salman Akram Raja were to spell out the new political line of action on Thursday.

Omar Ayub said political party leaders and lawmakers from different areas had reached the jail hoping to meet their leader. He again alleged that the PTI founder was being given substandard food, denied exercise and water. He emphasized that a contempt of court was being committed by not allowing them a meeting with Imran Khan.

Senator Syed Shibli Faraz, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, said that the use of fascist tactics would neither help bring about political stability in the country nor deal with anxiety in public. “They wanted an undertaking from us, which we did not give. We strongly condemn such tactics. You want us not to discuss politics with him, then should we discuss weather conditions or cricket with him?” he wondered.

Former National Assembly Speaker and senior party leader Asad Qaiser pointed out all those gathered outside the jail were political workers and elected representatives and wanted an audience with the party founder. Turning his guns towards the Punjab government, he alleged that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was resorting to fascist tactics and asserted it was her misunderstanding that this way, they could be discouraged or put under pressure.

He referred to the alleged mistreatment being meted out to the party workers, women and even children. “You can’t deprive us from our legal and constitutional rights this way,” he maintained.

Separately, ex-minister and PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan also visited the jail but was not able to have a meeting with Imran Khan. Talking to reporters, he said, “Our lawyers, including Ali Zafar, were stopped for three hours. By these actions you cannot break our morale or that of the founder PTI.”