ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Senator Azam Swati stated that those who facilitated his meeting with PTI Chairman Imran Khan in Adiala Jail performed a positive act for the country.
Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court, Swati said that the gesture was crucial for preserving Pakistan’s system.
Addressing a question, Swati made it clear that PTI was not seeking any leniency by cancelling rallies, asserting that the party is committed to upholding the constitution and the law.
He added that Imran Khan would endure the hardships of imprisonment without any favours.
Swati’s remarks follow an early morning meeting on 22 August between Imran Khan and PTI leaders at Adiala Jail. After the meeting, the party decided to cancel a planned rally in Islamabad.
PTI leaders, including Swati and Barrister Gohar, conveyed that Imran Khan had received reports about religious groups gathering in the capital’s Red Zone to protect Khatm-e-Nabuwwat.
Respecting the sanctity of the cause, Imran Khan ordered the rally’s cancellation, cautioning that this should not be viewed as a sign of weakness.
Reacting to the develoipment, Aleema Khan, the sister of Imran Khan, had alleged that PTI’s decision to cancel its rally was made under pressure from the ‘establishment.’ She questioned why Azam Swati, a PTI leader, visited Imran Khan early in the morning and who instructed him to deliver the message about the rally postponement.
She also accused the current PTI leadership of having no intention of freeing Imran Khan from jail.
Earlier, Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif on Sunday claimed that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had postponed the August 22 rally in Islamabad over “fear of rejection” from the masses.
The Imran Khan-led former ruling party put off its public gathering in the federal capital and rescheduled it for September 8 as the local administration revoked the no-objection certificate (NOC) and sealed roads leading to Islamabad.
Speaking to journalists on Sunday, the defence minister claimed that Imran would not have cancelled the rally if it had been meant to be “successful”, dismissing the notion of establishment’s interference in the PTI’s decision. Currently, the PTI wanted to build another “false narrative” to desperately save its diminishing popularity, he said. –Agencies
