Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Patron-in-Chief Imran Khan on Wednesday reiterated that no one from his party will contest by-elections on seats vacated by disqualified lawmakers, maintaining these seats remained “rightfully” theirs.
“Participating in by-elections would mean legitimizing their [state] unjust actions. Contesting by-elections would be akin to stabbing our people in the back,” he said during court proceedings at Adiala Jail, according to a post shared on his official X account.
According to Khan’s sister Aleema, he conveyed this to their sister Uzma, who was allowed to meet the former prime minister and his wife Bushra in court. The X post expresses Khan’s satisfaction with the turnout in the PTI’s protest of Aug. 5. “Despite the pressure on the leadership, the robust nationwide protest is a splendid manifestation of public awareness and awakening,” he said.
The former prime minister reiterated his claims of the present “system of oppression” requiring national unity to overcome. “The next important day for our movement is Aug. 14,” he said, adding there would be no freedom in the country until the Constitution and rule of law were restored. “Freedom is only possible when a nation is ready to make sacrifices,” he said.
Additionally, the PTI founder alleged an ongoing operation against militants in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was aimed at “weakening” his party. “My stance has always been that military operations are not a solution to any problem; rather, they spread more terrorism, hatred, and destruction,” he said, adding all issues should be resolved through dialogue.
The X post further voiced his congratulations for the successful conduct of an opposition multi-party conference, the initiation of a national dialogue, and its proposals for resolving major national issues.