The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has pledged to continue its anti-government movement following the arrest of several of its leaders from Parliament House during a late-night police crackdown.
“There should be no misunderstanding as people have stood up,” asserted PTI leader Salman Akram Raja at a press conference in Peshawar on Tuesday. Also present were PTI leaders Omar Ayub Khan, Asad Qaiser, Azam Swati, and Salman Akram Raja, who addressed the media after the party’s core committee meeting.
Raja alleged, “Some people are influencing the country’s political and democratic process,” and emphasized that PTI would not back down or allow anyone to silence the voice of Pakistanis.
Defending the PTI leaders’ speeches during the Islamabad rally, Raja argued that political power shows operate in a different environment.
The opposition party strongly condemned the arrests of its lawmakers, including several MNAs, during the police crackdown in Islamabad, which was launched on the grounds of alleged violations of public gathering laws.
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At the start of the press conference, journalists protested Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s remarks against the media made during the PTI rally in Islamabad two days prior. They inquired about Gandapur’s absence from the press conference, despite Omar Ayub’s assurance that an apology would be forthcoming. Raja explained that CM Gandapur had left for an assembly session.
Omar Ayub, also the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, criticized the coalition government for employing various tactics to disrupt PTI’s public gathering in Islamabad. He accused the ruling parties of levying false allegations against PTI and imprisoning its leaders.
Describing September 9 as a “black day,” Ayub condemned the arrests during the police crackdown and claimed that “masked individuals whisked away several party leaders,” including MNA Sher Afzal Marwat and Shoaib Shaheen.
During the press conference, PTI senior leader Asad Qaiser announced that the party will continue its fight both on the streets and in the courts. He called for the release of PTI founder Imran Khan and other detainees. Qaiser also demanded fresh elections, labelling the current government as “illegitimate,” and suggested filing contempt of court cases against the Islamabad police chief and commissioner for obstructing the rally in the federal capital.
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