ISLAMABAD: The incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday sent a missive to Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, seeking affirmative action against the political victimisation of his party, and abductions, and disappearances of its workers.
In a seven-page letter, he emphasised the need to assert Article 184(3) of the Constitution of Pakistan, which safeguards the right to liberty, to associate, assemble, and speak on account of their political affiliation.
In his letter, the PTI chief urged the top judge of the country to form a commission to further investigate the disappearances of PTI workers.
“These disappearances or abductions, quite apart from the arbitrary arrests, have spread fear through society and are a grotesque affront to the claim that Pakistan is a country ruled by a constitution and a set of laws,” he added.
“Today, the power to prosecute and arrest is being used in a blatant attempt to engineer and skew the political landscape of the country,” Khan wrote. He further said that all political parties, along with the PTI, should be allowed coverage without any restriction or discrimination.
It is pertinent to mention that the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has banned the ex-premier’s speeches and live broadcasts.
Referring to the May 9 riots, Khan argued that a large number of women arrested in Lahore were a tragic indictment of law enforcement, adding these women were imprisoned for six months, with further re-arrests when bail was already granted in one case. The PTI chief particularly highlighted Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad authorities for their maltreatment.
He further maintained that any worker affiliated with the PTI is being targeted through the registration of multiple and successive criminal cases so as to ensure continued imprisonment.
Khan said party workers were being re-arrested, as he demanded the conduct of a fair trial against them.
“...the apex court cannot be unaware of the phenomena of the disappearances of individuals affiliated with the PTI or those connected with the government led by PTI between August 2018 and April 2022. These persons have re-appeared and made press conferences that are clearly tutored”, he added.
He said that “without the intervention of the apex court in halting the widespread arrests and abductions that are presently under way, there is no possibility of a fair general election being conducted on February 8, 2024”.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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