LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Punjab has begun finalising its protest strategy in the light of directives issued by PTI’s Patron-in-Chief Imran Khan, which is expected to be launched after Ashura “to resist the ongoing human rights violations in the country and to restore constitutional and legal order”.
According to the PTI Punjab, meetings are underway across different regions of the party under the supervision of Chief Organiser Punjab Aliya Hamza. Regional leadership is being consulted, and practical, on-the-ground strategies are being devised. To mobilise party workers, organisational office-bearers at the district, tehsil, and regional levels have been assigned responsibilities.
“In the face of this oppression and injustice, protest is now our only remaining option. The inhumane treatment and cruelty being inflicted upon PTI founder Imran Khan is condemnable and intolerable; detaining a political leader under such severe restrictions and in clear violation of human rights is the worst form of state oppression and political revenge,” it added.
According to the party, Khan is kept confined for 22 hours a day in a small, dark cell with no sunlight or fresh air. This is not merely imprisonment, but it is systematic mental and physical torture. As a result of this inhumane treatment, he is rapidly losing weight, and his health is deteriorating. Yet the extent of state oppression is such that he is not even allowed to meet his physician. To make matters worse, Khan has been completely isolated from his family, legal team, and party leadership. This represents a grim image of authoritarianism in Pakistan.
“This treatment of Pakistan’s greatest national hero is not only a clear violation of the Constitution of Pakistan and the Pakistan Prison Rules 1978 but also of the United Nations’ Nelson Mandela Rules. According to these regulations, every prisoner has an inalienable right to natural light and air, a balanced diet, daily exercise and walking, regular medical checkups, and meetings with family, lawyers, and associates. If a globally renowned leader, a former Prime Minister, and a national hero can be deprived of these basic rights, it raises a painful question for the entire world: is Pakistan truly a democracy or has it become a political torture chamber,” it said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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