Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Salman Akram Raja has refused to recognise Barrister Gohar Ali Khan as the chairman of PTI, stating that the party chairperson was “Imran Khan and no one else.”
His remarks came during a media talk at the Gorakhpur checkpoint in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, the day reserved for meetings with the PTI founder at Adiala Jail.
PTI workers began gathering at the checkpoint amid a heavy police deployment. Routes leading to Adiala Jail were blocked, with checkpoints established at five locations.
Responding to a journalist’s question about why Barrister Gohar had been effectively sidelined in practice and who the new chairman would be, Raja said the party chairman was “Imran Khan and no one else”. He added that the treatment meted out to PTI by the Election Commission amounted to “rules of coercion”.
On the other hand, PTI chairperson Brrister Gohar Ali Khan announced plans for February 8, a nationwide shutdown and wheel-jam strike, with protests across the country. He said meetings between the PTI founder, his sisters and lawyers were essential to normalise the situation.
Read: Political dialogue stalls as government fails to follow through on PM’s offer
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan arrived at the Dahgal checkpoint on Adiala Road and spoke to the media, stating that if the idea of negotiations had been reduced to a meeting of “five elders”, it should not be considered negotiations at all. “Neither can five elders meet, nor is there any need for it,” he said, questioning how talks could proceed if meetings were not being allowed.
Gohar said PTI leaders came every Tuesday but returned without any meeting, adding that for more than a month, no one had been allowed to meet the party founder. “By making meetings controversial, how will matters move forward?” he asked.
Clarifying remarks attributed to him about “begging”, he said his words had been distorted. He explained that despite court orders, standard operating procedures and laws, meetings were still not being allowed. “If meetings are denied even after court orders, then it amounts to begging,” he said, adding that the system had become stagnant for PTI and that since February last year, the leadership had not been able to meet the party founder.
The last person to hold a meeting with Khan was his sister, Dr Uzma Khanum, on December 2. The meeting, held in a special room, lasted 37 minutes. Speaking to reporters outside the facility, she said the interaction had gone well and reassured supporters about his condition, confirming that the former premier was in good health. “Alhamdulillah, his condition is fine, and he is fully recovering,” she stated, offering a rare on-record update amid persistent concerns over his well-being.
Gohar said a heavy price was being demanded to normalise the situation, adding that whilst PTI tried to improve matters, the other side made equal efforts to worsen them. He said the greatest strength of the PTI founder and the party lay in its workers, who had endured severe hardships imposed by the state.
Read more: Afridi set for Karachi leg of street drive
Gohar said he had received a call from Imran Ismail and informed him that PTI would not participate in his conference, adding that the party had reservations about it. He said he did not comment publicly on internal party matters.
Almost ten days ago, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended an olive branch to PTI for political dialogue. The process now appears to be idling at the starting line, with the federal government yet to make any formal contact with the opposition alliance on the timing and framework of talks, casting a shadow over the seriousness of the outreach. Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Aeen Pakistan (TTAP) formally accepted the prime minister’s offer on December 24, showing willingness for dialogue without preconditions. However, no follow-up engagement has taken place so far, leaving the process stalled at the declaratory stage.
Salman Akram Raja, addressing the media was asked why Aleema Khan, despite holding no official party position, was considered answerable by senior party leaders. Raja rejected the premise of the question, asking who had claimed she was answerable, and said the assertion was “completely wrong”.
In response to a question about Aleema Khan’s reported statement that negotiations would not take place, Raja said the decision was not hers but an order from Imran Khan.
Gohar said there was no disagreement over the founder’s instructions regarding the street movement and that no party committee could ignore those directives. “Protesting is our right, and the party has a clear plan of action,” he said, adding that PTI had never called off talks but questioned the logic of involving “five elders”.
He said the Speaker had indicated a decision on notifications by the next session and expressed hope that opposition leaders’ notifications would be issued before then. He added that PTI expected the Pakistan Peoples Party to allow a public rally in Sindh and supported granting full protocol to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
Gohar said Senator Ali Zafar enjoyed the PTI founder’s trust, whilst Abro had been expelled from the party. He concluded by saying PTI would never sabotage any process and that he would remain in office as long as he retained the founder’s confidence.
Afridi, on January 2, announced that he would take his street campaign to Karachi on January 9 to mobilise party supporters and convey Khan’s message. Days after concluding a fraught three-day visit to Lahore aimed at launching PTI’s street movement, Afridi wrote on X, “Friday, January 9! Karachi, Sindh, are you ready?”
Also read: Imran Khan not interested in talks despite PM’s offer, says Sanaullah
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister said he would be visiting Karachi “bearing Imran Khan’s message”, and that he would be meeting “all friends of the party”.
His announcement comes in the wake of a turbulent Lahore visit, during which he attempted to address supporters at Liberty Chowk but was unable to do so after police sealed off all access roads by setting up pickets. During the same visit, Afridi addressed PTI lawmakers at the Punjab Assembly, an appearance marked by altercations between members of his entourage and security officials. Several heated exchanges between PTI leaders and journalists were also witnessed.
He was barred from entering the cantonment area to meet party leaders and was also prevented from visiting the food street, which had been shut down ahead of his arrival. Afridi later went to Zaman Park amid heavy police deployment, whilst reports also emerged of PTI supporters being detained during the tour.
On Monday, Afridi formally complained to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, objecting to the treatment he received during the Lahore visit. In his letter, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister said the Punjab government’s adoption of an extraordinary and excessive security posture, including sweeping detentions and visible enforcement theatrics, was “a message of intimidation rather than cooperation”.
The allotted time for meeting the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) at Adiala Jail has ended, with no permission granted to his sisters or any party leader to meet him. However, PTI founder’s three sisters, along with party workers, continue to stage a sit-in at the Factory Naka.
Those present at the protest include Salman Akram Raja, Aun Abbas Bappi, Shandana Gulzar, Naim Panjutha, Meena Khan Afridi and Shaukat Basra.
Aleema Khan arrived at the Gorakhpur checkpoint earlier in the day, moving towards the Factory checkpoint.
Aleema said the recitation of the Holy Quran had been delayed because roads were blocked. “Checkpoints have been set up everywhere. Wherever people are stopped, they will recite the Quran there,” she said.
She alleged that the PTI founder, Imran Khan, was being kept in solitary confinement, adding that his isolation demonstrated fear. “What will they gain by keeping him imprisoned? Continuous solitary confinement clearly indicates they are afraid of him,” she said.
Aleema said Khan wished to speak about people’s freedom. She claimed the country’s economy had been ruined and urged police personnel to show compassion towards workers, but not to follow unlawful orders. She said the country was not being managed properly and that people had grown frustrated. “We come to meet him, but meetings are not facilitated,” she added, alleging that the media avoided even mentioning the PTI founder whilst giving coverage to international leaders.
The sit-in led by Aleema is continuing at the Factory checkpoint on Adiala Road, Rawalpindi. The PTI founder’s other two sisters, Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan, are also present. The valve of a water tanker parked at the site was opened, causing water to spill and soak the area where the protesters were seated. After the incident, participants shifted to another spot. Police later removed the water tanker from the protest site.
