PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan. PHOTO: EXPRESS
RAWALPINDI:
PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan has denied claims that Imran Khan’s party and the powers that be are in touch, stating that if the PTI holds talks with the establishment it will not hide it.
“We are very clear that if there is any contact through the back door, we will not hide it. Currently, we have no contact with anyone, not even the establishment,” Goar told the media in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.
The PTI chief clarified that the opposition party has no enmity against anyone and PTI supports Pakistan, Pakistan Armed Forces and the State. “However, if the government shakes our hand and then also hits us, the situation will not improve,” he added.
Days after an opposition alliance, the TTAP, issued its letter of demand and at the same time announced a “traffic jams and closures” protest on the second anniversary of the “highly rigged” elections on February 8, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on December 23 offered an olive branch to the PTI.
The PTI, however, stated that it could not enter into talks “from a position of weakness” as it was still making preparations for a street movement.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who belongs to the PTI, is currently leading this street movement and has visited the provinces of Punjab and Sindh to mobilize the party’s supporters.
Meanwhile, the TTAP is also committed to building momentum for the February 8 protest.
Referring to the protest, Gohar said that February 8 is its symbolic day as the PTI’s mandate was allegedly stolen on that day in 2024. “We will film our protest on February 8 and it will be peaceful. We call on people to observe a lockout and wheel jam strike.”
He said that PTI exists among the people and does not need any symbol. Gohar said he considers the notification to opposition leaders in the Senate and National Assembly a good step.
“These notifications are good for the House and democracy. Both opposition leaders gave good messages in their speeches yesterday,” he said. Talking about the cases against Imran Khan, he said they were trying to meet Pakistan’s Chief Justice Yahya Afridi again but he was busy.
He said a court convicted Imran and his wife Busra Bibi in the Al-Qadir case on January 17, 2025, but the PTI’s appeal against the sentences has not been listed for hearing so far.
He said that they request the judiciary to ensure that people receive justice at their doorstep. “When the doors of justice are closed, people take justice into their own hands. Due to the lack of justice, people resort to lynchings and civil war.”
Lawyer Gohar stated, “How long will they wait for Superman and Wonder Boys? For God’s sake, the judiciary should hear the PTI founder’s cases and deliver justice. There is no corruption charge against Bushra Bibi, so why was she sentenced?” asked.
