- Compares Khan to Socrates, saying like latter, Khan ‘misled’ youth and refused to leave country
- Shandana says regardless of political affiliation, we must support Imran Khan
KARACHI: Support to PTI founder’s ‘controversial’ post regarding Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on his X account, former president Dr Arif Alvi on Saturday declared that suggestion to read Hamoodur Rahman Commission (HRC) report was not ‘treasonous’, criticising the tendency to label someone a traitor for simply reading a report.
“What treason is there in reading the Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report?” Alvi asked while speaking at a convention titled “Rule of Law” organised by the Insaf Lawyers Forum at the City Court in Karachi on Saturday.
“Bhutto covered up the Hamoodur Rahman Commission, but you executed him. Every civil government covered it up, but what have you done? You’ve branded Ghaffar Khan, Wali Khan, Mufti Mahmood, and now the PTI founder as traitors,” the ex-president.
Dr Alvi questioned the accusations of treason associated with reading the Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report and defended incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan’s call to read the report.
The convention was attended by PTI’s leaders – Ali Muhammad Khan, Shandana Gulzar, Haleem Adil Sheikh, Firdous Shamim Naqvi, General Secretary Ali Palh, Karachi Bar President Amir Nawaz Warraich, lawyer leader Naeem Qureshi, and a large number of lawyers.
Comparing Imran Khan to Socrates, Alvi said, “Like Socrates, Imran Khan has ‘misled’ the youth and refused to leave the country. The Kargil incident also happened in this country. Those who haven’t read the Hamoodur Rahman Commission report should research Kargil. They claim social media is misleading the youth.”
Alvi criticised the current government, stating, “Foreign investment will not come until people trust you. You are tyrants; you torture people and abduct women. Even Pervez Musharraf’s martial law was not this brutal. How will such a law work in Pakistan where terrorists roam free and common people face anti-terrorism charges? The current president claims immunity, but I always appeared in court despite facing charges of supplying arms.”
He called for dialogue with all stakeholders, including the PTI founder, adding, “On one side are thieves, corrupt individuals, and tyrants; on the other is the PTI founder. The issue of intolerance does not lie with the PTI founder.”
Alvi asserted, “The PTI founder will not seek revenge. Focus on how the situation can be rectified. MQM was made to win, but could they really win in Karachi? We liberated this city from MQM, but now they are oppressing it with others.”
Shandana Gulzar, in her address, highlighted, “This city had a lawyer who founded this country. Our blood is for our country, not for Biden. Regardless of political affiliation, we must support Imran Khan. Our lives are tied to him. I met him on Thursday; he is in better condition than us, just struggling with the heat.”
Gulzar added, “Khan said he won’t come out until the country is fixed. Imran Khan is the leader of the Muslim Ummah. If he were here, Palestine wouldn’t be in such a state. Imran Khan has fulfilled Quaid-e-Azam’s dreams.”
Leaders of the Insaf Lawyers Forum and others also spoke at the convention.
