ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday demanded immediate release of party chairman, and ex-premier Imran Khan from ‘notorious’ Attock prison, saying “there are serious threats to his life in Attock jail”.
A meeting of PTI core committee chaired by PTI vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi and attended by PTI secretary general and other senior leaders via Skype discussed the “illegal arrest of party chairman Imran Khan in a bogus case, and without giving him the right to defence”.
The meeting expressed serious concerns over the arrest of PTI chief within thirty minutes after the local judge announced his verdict in the case.
PTI announces countrywide protest
It discussed the solitary confinement of the former prime minister and depriving him from meeting his legal team and family members.
They said that the way a former prime minister is being treated is simply not acceptable, as he is not being allowed to meet his legal teams, which never happens anywhere in the world.
The meeting also deliberated upon the legal options to ensure immediate release of PTI chief from the prison as the party has already approached both Islamabad High Court (IHC) and Supreme Court of Pakistan in this regard.
It also condemned for keeping a former prime minister in solitary confinement, adding all legal options will be exhausted to ensure his immediate release, saying the sentence in a ‘fake case’ is nothing but a political victimization.
The party deplored that no information is being given about the health of the party chief since his arrest, and also questioned the authorities’ intention to keep him in Attock prison instead of Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.
The party lamented imposition of section 144 and arrest of several party workers from across the country who took to the street against the “illegal detention” of their leader.
It said that the party would continue peaceful protests all over the country till its chairman is released from the jail, adding the people have decided to continue their protests against “illegal detention” of their leader, which is reflected from the protests which took place in different cities of the country in wake of his arrest.
The PTI central secretary information Raoof Hassan alleged that the Toshakhana case was the worst case in history and tantamount to the murder of justice, saying this is nothing but political victimization to suppress the most popular leader of the country.
Meanwhile, the district administrations of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have imposed section 144 in the twin cities and banned all kind of protests.
However, a protest took place as some people in the twin cities took to the street to condemn the arrest of Khan, but they were dispersed by the police.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023