Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Salman Akram Raja has refused to recognize lawyer Gohar Ali Khan as PTI president, stating that the party’s president was “Imran Khan and no one else”.
His comments came during a media talk at Gorakhpur check post in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, a day reserved for meetings with the PTI founder in Adiala jail.
PTI workers began gathering at the check post amid heavy police deployment. Routes leading to Adiala jail were blocked and checkpoints were set up at five locations.
Responding to a journalist’s question as to why Barrister Gohar had been effectively sidelined and who would be the new president, Raja said the party president was “Imran Khan and no one else”. He added that the treatment given to the PTI by the Election Commission amounted to “rules of coercion”.
On the other hand, PTI Chairman Brister Gohar Ali Khan announced plans for a national lockdown and traffic jam strike on February 8, with protests across the country. He said meetings between the PTI founder, his sisters and lawyers were essential to normalize the situation.
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PTI Chairman Advocate Gohar Ali Khan reached the Dahgal check post on Adiala Road and spoke to the media, stating that if the idea of negotiations had been reduced to a meeting of “five elders”, they should not be considered negotiations at all. “Neither the five elders can meet, nor is it necessary to do so,” he said, questioning how talks could proceed if meetings were not allowed.
Gohar said PTI leaders came every Tuesday but returned without any meeting, adding that for over a month no one had been allowed to meet the party founder. “By making the meetings contentious, how will things move forward?” asked.
In the clarifications attributed to him about “begging”, he stated that his words had been distorted. He explained that despite court orders, standard operating procedures and laws, gatherings were still not permitted. “If meetings are denied even after a court order, then it is a plea,” he said, adding that the system has become stagnant for the PTI and since February last year, the leadership has not been able to meet the party founder.
The last person to meet Khan was his sister, Dr Uzma Khanum, on December 2. The meeting, held in a special room, lasted 37 minutes. Speaking to reporters outside the premises, he said the interaction had gone well and reassured his followers about his condition, confirming that the former prime minister was in good health. “Alhamdulillah, his condition is fine and he is making a full recovery,” he said, offering a rare official update amid lingering concerns about his well-being.
Gohar said a heavy price was being demanded to normalize the situation, adding that while the PTI was trying to make things better, the other side was making equal efforts to make them worse. He said the greatest strength of the PTI founder and the party lay in its workers, who had endured severe hardships imposed by the state.
Read more: Afridi prepares for the Karachi stage on the street
Gohar said he had received a call from Imran Ismail and informed him that the PTI would not participate in his conference, adding that the party had reservations in this regard. He said he did not comment publicly on internal party matters.
Almost ten days ago, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended an olive branch to the PTI for political dialogue. The process now appears to be dead on the starting line, with the federal government yet to establish any formal contact with the opposition alliance on the timing and framework of the talks, casting a shadow over the seriousness of the approach. Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Aeen Pakistan (TTAP) formally accepted the prime minister’s offer on December 24, showing willingness to engage in dialogue without preconditions. However, no follow-up commitment has been made so far, leaving the process stuck at the declaratory stage.
Salman Akram Raja, addressing the media, was asked why Aleema Khan, despite not holding any official position in the party, was held accountable by senior party leaders. Raja rejected the premise of the question and asked who had claimed she was responsible, saying the claim was “completely wrong”.
Responding to a question about Aleema Khan’s alleged statement that no negotiations would take place, Raja said the decision was not his but an order from Imran Khan.
Gohar said there was no disagreement over the founder’s instructions regarding the street movement and no party committee could ignore those directives. “Protesting is our right and the party has a clear action plan,” he said, adding that the PTI never called off the talks but questioned the logic of involving “five elders”.
He said the President had indicated a decision on notifications for the next session and expressed hope that notifications from opposition leaders would be issued before then. He added that the PTI hoped that the Pakistan People’s Party would allow a public rally in Sindh and supported granting the full protocol to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
Gohar said Senator Ali Zafar enjoyed the trust of the PTI founder, while Abro had been expelled from the party. He concluded by saying that the PTI would never sabotage any process and would remain in office as long as it retained the trust of the founder.
Afridi, on January 2, announced that he would take his street campaign to Karachi on January 9 to mobilize party supporters and convey Khan’s message. Days after concluding a tense three-day visit to Lahore aimed at launching the PTI street movement, Afridi wrote on X: “Friday, January 9! Karachi, Sindh, are you ready?”
Also read: Imran Khan not interested in talks despite PM’s offer, says Sanaullah
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister said he would visit Karachi “carrying Imran Khan’s message” and would meet “all friends of the party”.
His announcement comes after a turbulent visit to Lahore, during which he attempted to address his supporters at Liberty Chowk, but was unable to do so after police sealed off all access roads through picketing. During the same visit, Afridi addressed PTI lawmakers in the Punjab Assembly, an appearance marked by altercations between members of his entourage and security officials. Several heated exchanges were also witnessed between PTI leaders and journalists.
He was prohibited from entering the cantonment area to meet party leaders and was also prevented from visiting the food street, which had been closed before his arrival. Later, Afridi went to Zaman Park amid heavy police deployment, while reports also emerged that PTI supporters were detained during the tour.
On Monday, Afridi formally complained to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, objecting to the treatment he received during the visit to Lahore. In his letter, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister said the Punjab government’s adoption of an extraordinary and excessive security posture, including widespread arrests and visible law enforcement theatrics, was “a message of intimidation rather than cooperation.”
The time allotted to meet the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder in Adiala Jail has ended and neither his sisters nor any party leader has been granted permission to meet him. However, the three sisters of the PTI founder, along with party workers, continue to stage a sit-in at the Naka factory.
Among those present at the protest were Salman Akram Raja, Aun Abbas Bappi, Shandana Gulzar, Naim Panjutha, Meena Khan Afridi and Shaukat Basra.
Aleema Khan reached the Gorakhpur check post on the same day and headed towards the factory check post.
Aleema said the recitation of the Holy Quran had been delayed because roads were blocked. “Checkpoints have been set up everywhere. Wherever they stop people, there they will recite the Quran,” he said.
He alleged that PTI founder Imran Khan was being held in solitary confinement and added that his isolation showed fear. “What will they gain by keeping him incarcerated? The continued solitary confinement clearly indicates that they are afraid of him,” he said.
Aleema said Khan wanted to talk about people’s freedom. He claimed that the country’s economy had been ruined and urged police personnel to show compassion towards workers but not to follow illegal orders. He said the country was not being run properly and people had become frustrated. “We came to meet him, but meetings are not facilitated,” he added, alleging that the media avoided even mentioning the PTI founder while covering international leaders.
The sit-in led by Aleema continues at the factory check post on Adiala Road, Rawalpindi. The other two sisters of the PTI founder, Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan, are also present. The valve on a water tanker parked at the site opened, causing water to spill out and soak the area where protesters were sitting. After the incident, the participants moved to another location. Police later removed the water tanker from the protest site.
