ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has approached the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), seeking restraining orders against what it calls a government-driven advertisement campaign suggesting people, especially parents, not to allow their children to attend the party’s long march.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan has been leading the march on Islamabad to press the government to announce snap polls.

In a letter written to the regulator on Monday, the PTI while opposing the campaign pointed out that people under the Constitution of Pakistan enjoy the right to assembly and protest.

The letter, signed by a member of the party’s core committee, Dr Iftikhar Durrani, stated that PTI chairman had been struggling for a free and fair election in the country and holding a peaceful march to achieve this objective.

However, he alleged, the federal government had launched a “hateful” campaign against the peaceful march because it cannot compete against the PTI on the political battlefield.

Mr Durrani further alleged that the coalition government had been using national treasury to make its political agenda successful.

The PTI in its letter apprehended that the advertisement campaign “can create conflict and hate between different segments of society”.

Pemra has also been requested to take action against the officers who made the advertisement and had been running it.

Swati case

In a separate development, Senate Opposition Leader Dr Shahzad Waseem of PTI visited the office of the Director General of the Supreme Court’s Human Rights Cell and informed him about the alleged torture on the party’s Senator Azam Swati.

On Oct 17, Dr Waseem and Mr Swati wrote to the chief justice of Pakistan, urging him to take suo motu notice of the alleged torture on the latter while he was in Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) custody.

Mr Swati recently named two high-ranking army officers, alleging they were involved in his custodial torture.

Senator Swati was arrested by FIA’s cybercrime wing, but the officers he named belonged to the Inter-Services Intelligence.

Speaking at a press conference, Mr Swati had accused Maj Gen Faisal Naseer, ISI Director General (C), and Sector Commander Brigadier Faheem Raza of physically torturing him. He urged the authorities concerned to remove the officers from their posts.

Mr Swati was arrested earlier this month from his home in Islamabad after a case was registered against him over his “controversial” tweets. He was released on bail eight days later.

Since his arrest, Mr Swati has been claiming that he was stripped and tortured in custody.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2022