——– Opposition leader says no one can ban PTI
——– Vows party would continue its fight for true freedom
——– Adds govt must be very careful as ban would be bring chaos only
——– Sees govt packing in near future
ISLAMABAD: Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan has stated that no one could ban Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), reaffirming the Supreme Court’s stance that PTI is a political party and will remain so.
Speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail on Thursday, Ayub and other PTI leaders shared insights from their recent meeting with the incarcerated PTI founder, Imran Khan.
“The fight for true freedom will continue,” Ayub quoted the founder.
He criticised the government, calling its members “naïve”. “You imprisoned our leader, but our party remains unbroken,” he asserted.
Ayub highlighted the Supreme Court’s declaration that PTI’s political status is untouchable. He also addressed the nation’s economic challenges, noting the rising prices of gas, petrol, flour, len-tils, and sugar.
He accused the current administration of profiting from wheat imports during Mohsin Naqvi’s tenure and hinted at upcoming privatisation deals aimed at generating substantial revenue.
“SIFC plans to earn only Rs30 billion through privatisation, while the actual value exceeds Rs1,000 bil-lion,” he said. He also mentioned that the PTI founder had ordered organisational restructuring.
Ayub expressed concerns about jail conditions, alleging interference from intelligence officials during their meeting. “We will summon Islamabad’s in-charge, Punjab’s IG, the interior secretary, and Adiala Jail’s superin-tendent,” Ayub declared.
He condemned the involvement of secret agencies in political affairs, urging them to focus on counter-terrorism instead. Ayub insisted, “This government is out of control; we will get our seats back. The Chief Election Com-missioner and commissioners should resign immediately and face Article 6 charges.” He confirmed plans for a rally in Islamabad.
PTI leader Rauf Hassan warned that any adverse moves against PTI would harm Pakistan, vowing to defend the party’s position.
Earlier, The joint parliamentary party of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) has an-nounced plans for a protest against the government’s decision to ban PTI and take action against its founding chairman under Article 6. The decision was made during a meeting held on Thursday, where key actions and strategies were outlined. According to the declaration from the meeting, strong opposition was expressed against the alleged violations of the constitution, including arrests and forced disappearances of assembly members.
The joint parliamentary party strongly condemned the government’s move to ban PTI and demanded similar actions under Article 6 against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and others involved in al-leged electoral fraud.
Concerns were also raised over the appointment of ad hoc judges in the Supreme Court, with mem-bers emphasizing the seriousness of deviating from established seat allocation decisions.
During the meeting, Atif Khan of PTI proposed mobilizing people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for a pro-test rally in Islamabad, stressing the need for assertive action rather than symbolic gestures. However, Zartaj Gul expressed reservations about organising the rally in Islamabad without obtaining the neces-sary permissions.
The parliamentary party agreed that any PTI member facing security threats should seek refuge at the KP House. Additionally, Barrister Gohar suggested pursuing the matter of ad hoc judges through the Judicial Commission. –Agencies
