Minar-e-Pakistan: IK threatens to convert rally into protest if permission not granted

ISLAMABAD: The incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan on Friday warned that his party will convert the public gathering into protest in case permission was not granted for holding jalsa at Minar-e-Pakistan.

“PTI will stage public gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan for the protection of Supreme Court and freedom”, Khan said while talking informally to media persons at Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi after the hearing of Al Qadir Trust case.

Khan said that PTI had not been allowed to hold a public gathering in Lahore for the last one and a half years. “Undermining democracy means destroying freedom”, he said, adding that holding public gatherings is our constitutional right. He said that they had not allowed PTI to hold jalsa in Lahore before the general election and now they are also creating hurdles for us.

Khan said that the Establishment had given the guarantee for holding jalsa in Islamabad on September 8. We have been asked to postpone jalsa for the sake of the country, he said, adding that despite guarantees, roads were closed by placing shipping containers, before the public gathering. He said that what is happening today had not happened during the martial law regime of former president Pervaiz Musharraf. The elections held by Musharraf were freer and fairer as compared to elections conducted by them, he said.

Khan alleged that the chief justice of Pakistan and the chief election commissioner were jointly committing rigging. He said that Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa should separate himself from all case related to him since the judge’s wife had given a statement against him (the PTI chairman). "The judge's wife gave a statement against me, so the justice should separate herself from our cases", he said.

Earlier, the Accountability Court judge, Nasir Javed Rana, hearing the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) scam, commonly known as the Al Qadir Trust case, adjourned the hearing till September 24 after Bushra Bibi’s counsel conducted a partial cross-examination of the prosecution witness and investigation officer (IO) Umair Nadeem of the case.

The PTI's founding chairman and his wife were produced before the court.

Bushra Bibi’s counsel Usman Riaz Gull will continue cross examination of the witness during the next hearing.

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) deputy prosecutor general Sardar Muzaffer Abbasi and prosecutor Amjad Pervaiz appeared before the court.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024