RAWALPINDI:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has vowed not to bow down in the face of any pressure, saying that any perception of his surrender is a “misconception”.
Talking to media outside Adiala Jail following a court hearing in the Toshakhana-II case on Wednesday, the PTI founder’s sister Aleema Khan conveyed his message. She quoted Imran as saying, “Those who think I will break are delusional. I will not accept slavery, no matter what is done to me.”
Imran has called upon the entire nation to take to the streets on September 27, urging widespread participation in what he said will be a defining moment in Pakistan’s political resistance, she added.
Aleema further said Imran remains defiant, and critical of the current political order and quoted the PTI founder as saying that an attempt was made to crush PTI by bringing the 26th Constitutional Amendment to control the judiciary, muzzling the media, and strangling democracy.
According to her, Imran also warned that Pakistan has seen a drastic drop in foreign investment, and its debt has nearly doubled. Imran believes the country is headed down a perilous path similar to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, or Nepal, she added.
Aleema noted that Imran has instructed PTI’s leadership to play the role of a real opposition, warning them of political irrelevance. “If you don’t act now, you’ll be digging your own political graves,” she quoted the PTI founder.
No to video link trials
Touching on the video link proceedings in the General Headquarters (GHQ) attack case, Aleema said, “The Punjab government and Home Department want to isolate Imran Khan by forcing a video link trial. We completely reject it.”
She argued that Imran had refused such arrangements even after surviving an assassination attempt. “He insisted on being physically present in court. Now that he’s in jail, they want to isolate him further under the pretext of a video link.”
The isolation, she claimed, prevents legal consultation and disconnects him from family. “The objective is to silence him,” she added, warning that after the Toshakhana trial, Imran and his wife Bushra Bibi may be subjected to prolonged solitary confinement.
Aleema urged the legal community to unite against the 26th Amendment, saying, “Imran Khan may be the focus today, but tomorrow it could be anyone else who faces these undemocratic tools.”
She also spoke about a recent incident where two women allegedly threw eggs at her outside the court. She said both women were apprehended by PTI workers and handed over to police, but later released “under orders from above.”
The PTI founder has been directed to appear via video link from Adiala Jail for the next hearing, as the anti-terrorism court (ATC) adjourned the GHQ attack case to October 1. The development came after the Punjab government formally withdrew its notification for holding a jail trial in the case.
Presided over by ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah, the court issued summons for three witnesses to appear at the next hearing and instructed that challan copies be distributed in 11 other May 9 cases the same day.
Another ATC has framed charges against 11 arrested individuals in the November 26 protest case. ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Supra conducted the hearing, during which the accused pleaded not guilty. The court adjourned proceedings until September 24.
In the same case, PTI leaders remain on interim bail until November 13. Police have submitted the challan of those arrested out of 195 workers nominated in the Secretariat police station case, while 184 absentees have already been declared proclaimed offenders by the court.
