ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said on Monday that incarcerated party founder Imran Khan expressed sorrow over the casualties during a crackdown on the “final call” protesters in Islamabad and ordered the PTI lawmakers to take up the issue in both houses of parliament.
Speaking to the media after meeting jailed PTI founder in Adialia Jail, the party chief said Khan has directed to submit a requisition for the National Assembly and Senate session to discuss and protest over the deaths of protesters.
The former ruling party’s much-hyped protest in Islamabad, aimed at securing Khan’s release who has been behind bars for more than a year, had started on November 24 and “postponed” abruptly in the wee hours of Wednesday, November 27, with nearly 1,000 supporters being arrested by authorities.
He said that it was the first meeting between the PTI leaders and Khan after the conclusion of the “final call” protest in which they briefed him about the happenings in the demonstration, including the deaths of 12 PTI workers, as well as Rangers and police personnel.
On the other hand, the incumbent government had categorically denied that law enforcement agencies (LEAs) opened fire on PTI protesters or that any fatalities occurred.
Gohar said that the PTI founder was unaware of what happened during the party’s protest due to the non-availability of any newspaper or television in jail.
“PTI founder would announce the party’s next strategy,” said Gohar, adding: “Bullets shouldn’t be fired regardless of our presence in Sangjani or somewhere else. We condemn the firing [during Islamabad protest] no matter who was involved in it.”
He added that the PTI founder asked the party leaders and workers to maintain unity in their ranks as the opponents were continuously trying to divide them.
Amid contradictory statements regarding the exact venue of the “do-or-die” demonstration, Gohar said that protests have to be held at “impactful places”.
However, the PTI was neither aiming to reach D-Chowk nor leaders were told to go there, he added.
The decision to reach D-Chowk in Islamabad instead of holding a sit-in at Sangjani came under sharp criticism by many PTI senior leaders.
The PTI chief criticised the ongoing debate on Sangjani and D-Chowk, saying that it aimed to divert attention from deaths occurred during the protest.
During the three-day protests, fierce clashes erupted between the law enforcers and the protesters. At least four security personnel, including three Rangers and one policeman, were martyred in the clashes.
On the other hand, the former ruling party claimed that at least 12 of their workers and supporters were killed.
Answering a question, Gohar said that PTI was facing any kind of restriction or ban and would continue its political struggle. To another query, the PTI chief replied that he was not certain about negotiations with establishment.
Dismissing claims about Khan’s ailment, he clarified that the PTI founder was in good health at Adiala Jail.
