ISLAMABAD – PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar has said that the PTI founder was fully aware of the imposition of governor’s rule and emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but did not describe the end of the government there as welcome.
According to reports, Barrister Gohar, speaking to the media near Adiala Jail, said Maulana Fazlur Rehman has his own party and politics. He said he had told Fazlur Rehman, regarding his speech in the assembly, that it would have been appropriate to avoid certain words.
He said he once again believes political tensions should not escalate, adding that the manner in which government representatives responded was also inappropriate. If something is to be done for the country, the nation and democracy, he said, tensions must be reduced.
Commenting on Barrister Salman Safdar’s meeting with the PTI founder, the PTI chairman said it was the first such meeting since April 8, after 380 days, which he called welcome. He said the suspension of meetings was the reason for such great tension.
He said that if a prisoner is not allowed to meet their family within 15 days, it is a violation of human rights. Had meetings taken place, he said, things would have improved, the tension would not have arisen, and the situation would not have reached the point of governor’s rule or emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Barrister Gohar said he had already denied that his own name had been finalised for the meeting. He said he had always tried to arrange meetings for political figures, and had pushed for names including his own and that of Allama Nasir Abbas. When no political meeting could be arranged, he said, efforts were made for Salman Safdar’s meeting, which did take place.
The PTI chairman said that regarding the recovery of the KP chief minister and the speaker, a hearing was held in the Peshawar High Court today, and the petition has been referred to a larger bench. He expressed hope it would be heard soon, adding that the disappearance of the KP chief minister and speaker is beyond comprehension.
Speaking about Salman Safdar’s meeting at Adiala, he said the meeting with the founder was also a need for the party. He said Salman Safdar had told them the founder was aware of the emergency and governor’s rule, and that the founder did not talk much about politics in the meeting.
Barrister Gohar said Salman Safdar did not bring anything from Adiala that would make political news. He added that nothing in the meeting suggested the founder had said it was good that the KP government had ended, and he denied that claim.
The PTI chairman said political vendetta is at its peak, which poses a threat to democracy. He said the party has repeatedly stated that it stands with the state and Pakistan. He said he considers it a sin that non-political women are in jail, and that at his request, Noreen Niazi was kept in hospital for one extra day.
Barrister Gohar said efforts are also under way for an All Parties Conference. Rejecting reports of a forward bloc in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said all KP members are with the founder, and that no MPA will suddenly come forward to become chief minister, as the decision on who is appointed to that important post will be made by the founder alone.
The PTI chairman announced the party’s disassociation from an anti-state narrative put out by some social media accounts. He said, “We say openly that the government, the army and the state are ours. Pakistan comes first, then politics.” He reiterated that the party’s demand remains that the founder should receive medical treatment and that his personal doctors should be given access to him. He said no discussion has yet taken place on shifting the founder to Islamabad jail or Bani Gala.
