RAWALPINDI — Jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan has called upon Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi to stand by law and justice.
In an informal interaction with journalists at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, the PTI founder addressed the CJP, saying: “The nation is looking towards you.”
Khan said he wrote two letters to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir “because all democratic avenues have been obstructed”.
His remarks came after the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), headed by the CJP, approved the appointment of six new judges to the Supreme Court amid a boycott by PTI lawmakers and two senior SC judges.
“The CJP needs to stand by law and justice,” said the 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician, who has been behind bars since August 2023 after he was sentenced in multiple cases following his ouster from power in April 2022.
Blasting the coalition government, the PTI founder said: “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari and [federal] ministers are all fake. There is no hope from parliament.”
It is pertinent to mention that the former ruling party alleges that their mandate was stolen during the February 8, 2024, general elections.
“The parliament is not functional. It is a fraud parliament,” he added.
Moving on to the stalled negotiation process between the PTI and the ruling coalition, the former prime minister said that he was not expecting any breakthrough in the talks.
“I have told my team that the negotiations with the government are useless,” he added.
The jailed former prime minister said that his party did not demand a judicial commission to probe the alleged rigging in the general elections but to investigate the events of May 9, 2023 and November 26.
The PTI called off the negotiation process due to the “non-cooperation” of the government and delay over the formation of a judicial commission to probe the May 9, 2023, violent protests and a crackdown on party protesters in Islamabad on November 26 last year.
Referring to recent controversial amendments made to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016, Khan said: “There was censorship in the past too but now [the government] introduced Peca [amendments].”
Censuring the government in connection with the crackdown against the PTI workers, the incarcerated PTI founder said that there was hypocrisy in the garb of democracy and criticism was made akin to treason in the country.
Speaking out for freedom of expression, Khan said there was a “controlled media” in the country, adding that protests and rallies were not allowed by the government. — (Geo News)