- Khan meets PTI leaders at Adiala jail, where he is incarcerated.
- PTI founder discusses overall political situation and party matters.
- Ex-PM sends message to newly-appointed PTI KP President Akbar.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Thursday voiced his displeasure with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur over his meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, The News reported on Friday, citing sources.
The meeting, which was also attended by other party members, did not sit well with Khan, who believed Gandapur should have taken a firmer stand instead of accepting the appointment of a new inspector general of police (IGP) in the province.
The federal government had last week removed Akhtar Hayat — reportedly due to his failure to maintain law and order in the province over an extended period — and appointed Zulfiqar Hameed as the new IGP.
The PTI founder, who is incarcerated at Adiala jail, discussed the overall political situation and the party’s organisational matters with senior PTI leaders in a recent meeting at the facility.
It was learnt that the party supremo was apprised of the arrests and alleged harassment of leaders and workers, particularly in Punjab. Those who met him include PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Shibli Faraz and the PTI’s women’s wing leader Kanwal Shauzab.
According to sources, the PTI founder sent a message to the newly-appointed president of the party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Junaid Akbar through party leaders. Akbar is in the news these days for his strong statements.
Separately, Faraz, while talking to the media, declared February 8 as a “black day” in Pakistan’s political history. He said that instability had gripped the country since that day because the true representatives of the people were not present in parliament.
He criticised the current assemblies, saying that those sitting in them were rejected by the public and questioned how such individuals could legislate in people’s interest. He argued that laws like the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) and the 26th Amendment were examples of the kind of legislation these individuals would continue to pass.
He urged the government to form two independent commissions to address key issues, stating that if the government complied, his party would be willing to engage in negotiations. However, he emphasised that the government must demonstrate seriousness and sincerity in its approach.
Faraz also criticised the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), sarcastically suggesting that it should be awarded a medal for conducting the most controversial elections in the country’s history.
Separately, during a media talk, senior PTI members Faisal Chaudhry, Taimur Jhagra, Shahid Khattak, Suhail Afridi and Syed Fakhar Jahan condemned, what they described, a systematic disenfranchisement of voters and suppression of opposition voices.
Faisal Chaudhry accused the authorities of stealing the people’s mandate, particularly in Karachi, where he alleged that election results were manipulated. “The votes of the people have been stolen, and all seats in Karachi have been distributed like charity,” he said, adding he had warned that opening ballot boxes would invoke Article 6, which deals with treason.
