PTI holds ‘symbolic’ hunger strike, demands govt release IK, assails NA Speaker

ISLAMABAD: The senior leadership of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday held a symbolic hunger strike outside Parliament House, demanding the National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq’s intervention on actions against the party and its leaders by the powerful military establishment.

The PTI leaders said that the crackdown against party leadership through concocted cases must come to an end and the jailed party founding chairman Imran Khan and other jailed party leaders must be released from jail without any further delay.

Talking to journalists outside parliament, PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan said that the hunger strike will be observed daily till 8pm as a token protest against injustice and for the PTI founder’s release and the supremacy of the parliament.

He continued that he conveyed his party’s reservations to National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq over illegal and unconstitutional actions.

Khan said that PTI raised voice for the PTI lawmakers and their families who were being picked up, adding this barbarism and undemocratic practice must come to an end.

“Imran Khan and his wife have been imprisoned for no reason. This camp will continue till the release of Imran Khan,” he declared.

He strongly condemned the sealing of the party’s secretariat in the federal capital as Islamabad administration sealed the PTI’s central office on Monday over lack of fire and life safety arrangements.

Another senior PTI leader and ex-NA speaker Asad Qaiser said: “Our first demand is to release Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and other detainees, including Raoof Hasan and other party workers.”

He held the federal government responsible for the recent wave of lawlessness and inflation across the country.

Qaiser urged the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government to immediately resign over bad governance and mismanaging the economy.

He said that the party had started a “local protest” against its victimisation.

“We don’t want to create any unfavourable law and order situation in the country,” he added.

“But given what is happening to us — the ongoing campaign against us, the pressure on our MNAs, the cases against them and the offers being made to sway their loyalties — what other option do we have?” he said.

“We have, therefore, decided to hold this [protest].”

PTI’s Secretary-General Omar Ayub Khan said that the token hunger strike was being observed for the release of the incarcerated former premier, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi and other arrested leaders and workers.

The opposition leader in the National Assembly censured the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) for sealing the PTI’s central office once again.

“Instead of the PTI secretariat, the MCI should seal its own office “where mice are running everywhere”,” he added.

Omar also demanded the Form 47 government — a reference to the alleged manipulation in the February 8 election results — to immediately resign and announce fresh elections. He added that the PTI wanted free and fair polls to pull the country out of crisis.

Addressing the participants of the hunger strike camp, Shibli Faraz, the opposition leader in Senate, said that today’s event was part of the PTI’s political struggle.

He also announced that the Imran-founded party will hold a countrywide protest on Friday, July 26, 2024.

Several PTI lawmakers joined the hunger strike camp including Gohar, Qaiser, Omar, Faraz, Latif Khosa, Ali Muhammad Khan, Sheikh Waqas, Senator Humayun Mohmand, Saifullah Abro, Shabbir Ali Qureshi, Sahibzada Sibghatullah, Mehboob Shah, Sajid Mohmand, Dawar Kundi, and others.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024