PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Barrister Gohar Ali alleged here on Sunday that founder of their party Imran Khan was incarcerated on trumped up charges and claimed that he would soon be released after conclusion of court appeals against his cases.

Addressing a public rally, he said that independence of judiciary was necessary for rule of law in the country. He claimed that Imran Khan would soon be released from prison as all the ‘bogus’ cases registered against him would conclude.

The rally was organised on the instructions of Imran Khan to protest registration of cases against him, his wife Bushra Bibi and PTI leader Murad Saeed.

The rally was also meant to show solidarity with six judges of Islamabad High Court, who recently wrote a letter to Supreme Judicial Council to probe what they called interference of intelligence agencies in the affairs of judiciary.

Says charges against party founder ‘bogus’; PTI stages rally in Peshawar to show solidarity with IHC judges

PTI secretary general MNA Umer Ayub, MNA Ali Mohammad Khan, MNA Sher Afzal Marwat, MNA Sher Ali Arbab and Azam Swati also attended the rally.

PTI workers from different districts gathered outside Peshawar Press Club and marched on Sher Shah Suri road. The procession turned into a rally when it reached the building of Peshawar High Court where leaders of PTI addressed it.

The charged workers chanted slogans, demanding of the government to release their leader Imran Khan as soon as possible. They were also holding portraits of Imran Khan.

Gohar Ali said that those, who were thinking to erase the name of Imran Khan from the politics of Pakistan, were proved wrong. It was their misconception as a large number of workers gathered on the call of their leader (Imran Khan) despite fasting, he added.

“Imran Khan is not only the founder of PTI but he is the name and sign of an ideology,” he said. Prior to general elections, he said that Imran Khan had asked him to award tickets to workers of the party.

Addressing the rally, Umer Ayub demanded of the government to immediately release the PTI workers, who were in the custody of military, as well as political prisoners.

He also demanded of the authorities to return the ‘stolen’ mandate to PTI and hand over the seat of prime minister to Imran Khan.

MNA Sher Ali Arbab, who is also Peshawar district president of PTI, said that judges of lower courts and high courts were respectable because they provided justice to people. He said that their party would stand with the judges against whosoever interfered in judicial matters.

He paid rich tributes to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for their continued support for PTI, especially after the May 9 protests.

MNA Sher Afzal Marwat said that a group occupied Pakistan and stole mandate of people and snatched independence of judiciary for its personal benefits. That group also put Imran Khan behind bars, he added.

“The group of occupiers has also violated basic human rights in the country. PTI would stand like a rock for the independence of judiciary in the country. You have to face resistance of people before attack on judiciary,” he said. He added that they would not allow any interference in judiciary.

“For the first time in the history of Pakistan, judges have dared to show the real picture to people. The names of these judges would be written in history with golden words,” said Mr Marwat.

He demanded of Supreme Court of Pakistan to set up a commission of three senior most judges to probe the allegations levelled by six judges of Islamabad High Court.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2024