Says all PTI lawmakers in K-P remain loyal to Imran, dismisses reports of a forward bloc within the party
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan speaks to the media in Rawalpindi on Tuesday. SCREENGRAB
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Tuesday rejected media reports suggesting that party founder Imran Khan had welcomed the end of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, saying he had made no such statement during his meeting at Adiala jail with Barrister Salman Safdar.
On October 11, Governor’s rule and an emergency were imposed, transferring executive authority from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led provincial government to the governor. An 11-member advisory council was formed to assist him in overseeing provincial administrative affairs.
The federal government also established a separate administrative structure for 12 districts, including an Area Representative and Development Council to facilitate local representation and development planning.
Gohar’s denial follows a meeting a day earlier between Barrister Safdar, the incarcerated PTI founder, and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to discuss a legal case.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has permitted Imran to meet his family members, lawyers and other associates twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. However, despite repeated court orders directing the authorities to allow these meetings, access to the former prime minister by his family and party leaders has remained largely restricted in recent months.
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Speaking to reporters in Rawalpindi, Gohar said a television channel had incorrectly reported that Imran was pleased with the provincial government’s removal. “This is wrong. Khan did not say anything of the sort,” he said.
“One point I want to categorically reject is the claim made by a TV channel that Khan Sahib had welcomed the end of his government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. That report is entirely false,” Gohar said.
He said all PTI members of the provincial assembly remained loyal to Imran and there was no forward bloc within the party. Any decision about the provincial government or a possible candidate for the chief minister’s office would be taken by the party founder, he added.
“Everyone will act according to Imran’s views. No one can suddenly come forward and say that he wants to form a government or become a candidate,” Gohar said, adding that the decision rested with the PTI founder and no one else.
He welcomed Safdar’s meeting with Imran, saying restrictions on access to the PTI founder had fuelled political tensions.
The PTI chairman said Safdar’s interaction with Imran was the first since April 8, following an extended period during which meetings with the former prime minister had remained restricted.
He said the political situation might have taken a different turn if such meetings had been permitted, adding that tensions could have been eased before matters escalated to the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Gohar said the party had repeatedly sought to arrange meetings with Imran, including requests for access for himself and Senate opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas. After these efforts failed, the party worked to secure a meeting for Safdar with the former prime minister, he added.
Asked about the possibility of an alliance with the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam after the end of governor’s rule, he said the party would consider the matter when the situation arose.
Gohar also rejected reports about Imran’s possible transfer from Adiala jail to Islamabad or Bani Gala, saying no such proposal had been discussed during the meeting.
Concern over Imran’s health
The PTI chairman said the party remained concerned about the founder’s health and conditions in prison, reiterating the party’s demand that the former prime minister be examined by a private doctor, undergo medical tests and receive treatment.
“We have not given up on this demand. It is an order of the Supreme Court, and it should be implemented,” he said.
Gohar said the party had raised concerns about Imran’s health and living conditions, adding that the meeting was important for the PTI as well as its legal team.
He added that the meeting with the PTI founder was the first in more than 380 days, describing the prolonged restrictions on meetings as inhuman treatment that had contributed to political tensions in the country.
Gohar said restrictions on meetings with the former prime minister’s family were particularly troubling, citing the case of a woman in prison who was not being allowed to meet her daughter.
“Even an ordinary prisoner has the right to meet family members,” he said, adding that such meetings were a legal right and should be allowed in accordance with court orders.
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Gohar said meetings should be permitted with Imran’s lawyers, family members, doctors and children, as well as with the family of his wife.
He said the Supreme Court had issued orders in this regard and urged the authorities to implement them. Referring to an order issued on Aug 18, he said its implementation could have prevented the need for further intervention by the apex court and subsequent contempt proceedings.
He also said regular meetings could have helped ease political tensions and that, had they been allowed, the situation might not have escalated to the point of an emergency and governor’s rule in K-P.
Responding to questions about the political situation, Gohar said the party was concerned about what he described as growing political victimisation. He said people were increasingly feeling that they had no place in the system.
He also criticised the continued imprisonment of Imran’s three sisters, saying their detention was contrary to the country’s traditions. He said he had raised the issue in the provincial assembly and during media interactions, and expressed hope that a solution would be found.
Imran’s sisters — Aleema Khan, Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan — who frequently staged sit-ins outside Adiala jail demanding the PTI founder’s release, have remained in detention since late September under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, as the party prepared to stage a protest march towards Islamabad.
On JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s political position, Gohar said Imran had made it clear that Fazl had his own party and political agenda, with which the PTI had nothing to do.
He said he had advised Maulana Fazl to avoid certain remarks during their interaction, adding that the government had also responded inappropriately. “Political differences should not prevent efforts to strengthen the democratic system,” he said.
Gohar said the PTI was continuing its efforts through the All Parties Conference to address the country’s political challenges.
Asked about reports that he had been considered for a meeting with political leaders but had not attended, he rejected the claim, saying he had consistently tried to arrange meetings with political figures, including Maulana Fazl and other leaders.
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He said he had also made efforts to meet Safdar and was pleased that the meeting with the PTI founder had finally taken place.
Gohar said a case concerning the K-P chief minister, the speaker and a lawmaker was pending before the Peshawar High Court. He welcomed the chief justice’s decision to constitute a larger bench but urged the court to act swiftly.
“It is unbelievable that a minister and the speaker can disappear. Everyone should have responded, and the court should have taken up the matter as soon as possible,” he said.
