Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi – July 5, 2024
In a significant development, Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has made a major announcement during an informal conversation with journalists at Adiala Jail.
During the hearing of the £190 million reference, Khan expressed his dissatisfaction with the prison administration’s conduct towards him.
Khan revealed that he plans to go on a hunger strike to protest the injustices he has faced from the jail authorities. He stated that after consulting with party leaders, he would formally declare his decision to begin the hunger strike.
He also mentioned that he had summoned PTI leaders to the jail to resolve internal party disputes, but the jail administration did not permit them to meet, causing both him and the party leaders to wait for three hours in vain.
Imran Khan alleged that there is a deliberate attempt to weaken his party by creating divisions and emphasized that the time for negotiations has passed.
He criticized the Chief Election Commissioner and accused him of election rigging, suggesting that Article 6 could be applied against him. He argued that according to Article 25 of the Constitution, there should be no favoritism during the hearing of cases.
He also expressed concern over the frequent presence of Justice Qazi Faez Isa on the benches hearing PTI and his cases, hinting at a lack of impartiality.
Khan’s legal team has raised objections to Justice Isa’s involvement, suspecting that they would not receive fair justice.
Citing a five-member bench led by Justice Gulzar, which had previously ruled that Justice Isa should not hear their cases, Khan demanded that their cases be heard by a different bench.
In his conversation, Khan also highlighted the obstacles faced by his party leaders in meeting him in jail.
Despite an attempted meeting with his team the previous day, the administration did not allow it. Khan indicated that if justice is not served, he will proceed with his hunger strike.
Khan criticized the current state of the country, claiming it has shifted from a hybrid regime to an authoritarian one, and described it as a dictatorship.
He called on the international community to recognize the situation in Pakistan and condemned the government’s threats of attacking Afghanistan while unjustly imprisoning its own people.
Khan mentioned that PTI would participate in the All Parties Conference called by the Prime Minister regarding the Azm-e-Istehkam Operation if they receive an invitation.
However, he expressed concerns about the operation, emphasizing that any adventurous move along the 2,500-kilometer border with Afghanistan could pose significant risks to the country.
This announcement has sent shockwaves through political circles and has the potential to ignite further political tension in Pakistan.