The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday vowed to strengthen its anti-government and anti-establishment campaign, and stage nationwide rallies on Friday, as party leaders condemned the arrests of several MNAs a day earlier over alleged violations to a new law regarding public gatherings in Islamabad.
Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja maintained the public’s participation in the Sangjani rally had proven they were ready for resistance. Alleging certain elements were manipulating Pakistan’s political and democratic systems, he claimed the PTI would not back down from their attempts to silence the public.
Defending the speeches of various leaders at Sangjani, particularly the controversial address of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, he maintained a political gathering had different dynamics than regular political discourse.
Condemning the arrests of various PTI MNAs, he alleged they appeared to have been undertaken with the consent of NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. “Whatever happened on Monday was shameful,” he said, stressing Pakistan could not afford any further trampling of democracy. Referring to rumored legislation aiming to extend the tenure of government officials, he alleged the government was trying to compel legislators to support it. This, he claimed, was an attempt to subjugate Parliament.
Recalling the May 9 riots, he said Army installations were respectable and should not be attacked, but questioned why Parliament was equally deserving of respect. Reiterating demands for the release of the CCTV footage of the May 9 riots, he claimed clips issued so far present “half truths.” The riots, he alleged were used as pretext by the establishment to push PTI to the wall.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan also condemned the arrests and accused the incumbent government of imprisoning PTI leaders on false pretexts. Describing the arrests as a “black day” for democracy, he alleged that “masked men” had “abducted” PTI MNAs. He demanded proceedings against the heads of intelligence agencies and their operatives for attacking Parliament.
Ayub also reiterated a demand for fresh elections, claiming this was the only means to resolve the prevailing situation.
Nationwide protests
Former NA speaker and PTI leader Asad Qaiser announced the party would continue its protests alongside fighting legal battles in court and called for the immediate release of Imran Khan and other detained party members. Reiterating the demand for fresh polls, he alleged the incumbent government was illegitimate and proposed contempt charges against the Islamabad police chief and commissioner for placing barriers in the path of the Sangjani rally.
Earlier, in a meeting of its core committee, the PTI decided to launch nationwide protests from Friday and raise the issue of arrested MNAs in all assemblies.
Gandapur’s absence
At the start of the press briefing, journalists staged a protest over Gandapur’s disparaging remarks about the community and demanded information on his whereabouts the previous night, as party leaders had claimed he was incommunicado for several hours.
Raja said Gandapur was “in a meeting with state institutions” regarding the security situation of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, adding it was “nothing to be worried about.” Qaiser, meanwhile, said the chief minister would explain his position personally in the KP Assembly.