Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Salman Akram Raja has refused to recognize lawyer Gohar Ali Khan as chairman of the PTI, stating that the party’s chairman was “Imran Khan and no one else.”
His remarks came during a media briefing at Gorakhpur checkpoint in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, the day reserved for meetings with the PTI founder in Adiala jail.
PTI workers started gathering at the checkpoint amid heavy police deployment. Routes leading to Adiala prison were blocked, with checkpoints established at five locations.
In response to a reporter’s question as to why lawyer Gohar had effectively been sidelined and who the new chairman would be, Raja said the party chairman was “Imran Khan and nobody else”. He added that the treatment given to the PTI by the Election Commission amounted to “coercive rules”.
On the other hand, PTI Chairman Brister Gohar Ali Khan announced plans for February 8, a nationwide shutdown and wheel stoppage strike, with protests across the country. He said meetings between the PTI founder, his sisters and lawyers were essential to normalize the situation.
Read: The political dialogue comes to a standstill as the government does not comply with the prime minister’s offer
PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan arrived at Dahgal checkpoint on Adiala Road and addressed the media, stating that if the idea of talks had been reduced to a meeting of “five elders”, it should not be considered talks at all. “Neither can five elders meet, nor is there any need,” he said, questioning how talks could proceed if meetings were not 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’s founder. “By making meetings controversial, how will the case move forward?” he asked.
Clarifying remarks attributed to him about “begging”, he said his words had been twisted. He explained that despite court orders, standard operating procedures and laws, meetings were still not allowed. “If meetings are denied, even after court orders, then it amounts to begging,” he said, adding that the system had stalled for the 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 prime minister was in good health. “Alhamdulillah, his condition is fine and he is making a full recovery,” she said, offering a rare medical update amid ongoing concerns over his well-being.
Gohar said a heavy price was being exacted to normalize the situation, adding that while the PTI was trying to improve things, the other side was making 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 stage of street drive
Gohar said he had received a call from Imran Ismail informing him that PTI would not attend 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 stalling at the starting line, with the federal government yet to make any formal contact with the opposition alliance about the timing and framework of the talks, casting a shadow over the seriousness of the outreach. The 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, which makes the process stalled at the declaration stage.
Salman Akram Raja, addressing the media, was asked why Aleema Khan, despite holding no official party position, was held responsible by senior party leaders. Rejecting the premise of the question, Raja asked who had claimed she was responsible, saying the claim was “completely wrong”.
Responding to a question about Aleema Khan’s reported statement that talks would not take place, Raja said the decision was not hers but an order from Imran Khan.
Gohar said there was no dispute about the founder’s instructions regarding the street movement and that no party committee could ignore those directives. “It is our right to protest and the party has a clear plan of action,” he said, adding that the PTI had never called off talks but questioned the logic of involving “five elders”.
He said the Speaker had indicated a decision on announcements before the next session and expressed hope that the Opposition Leaders’ announcements would be issued before then. He added that PTI expected Pakistan Peoples Party to allow a public meeting in Sindh and supported giving full protocol to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
Gohar said Senator Ali Zafar enjoyed the confidence of the PTI founder while Abro had been expelled from the party. He concluded by saying that the PTI would never sabotage any process and that he would remain in office as long as he retained the trust of the founder.
Afridi announced on 2 January that he would take his street campaign to Karachi on 9 January to mobilize party supporters and convey Khan’s message. Days after wrapping up a packed three-day visit to Lahore aimed at launching the PTI’s street movement, Afridi wrote on X: “Friday 9th January! Karachi, Sindh, are you ready?”
Read also: Imran Khan is not interested in talks despite the Prime Minister’s offer, says Sanaullah
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister said he would visit Karachi “with Imran Khan’s message” and would meet “all friends of the party”.
His announcement comes in the wake of a turbulent visit to Lahore where he tried to address supporters at Liberty Chowk but was unable to do so after police blocked all access roads by staging pickets. During the same visit, Afridi addressed PTI lawmakers at the Punjab Assembly, an appearance marred by arguments between members of his entourage and security officials. Several heated exchanges between PTI leaders and journalists were also witnessed.
He was prevented from entering the cantonment area to meet party leaders and was also prevented from visiting the food street, which had been shut down prior to his arrival. Afridi later went to Zaman Park amid heavy police deployment while reports also emerged of PTI supporters being detained during the trip.
On Monday, Afridi formally complained to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz protesting the treatment he received during the visit to Lahore. In his letter, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister said the Punjab government’s adoption of an extraordinary and excessive security posture, including widespread detentions and visible enforcement theater, was “a message of intimidation rather than cooperation”.
The allotted time to meet the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Adiala jail has ended without his sisters or any party leader being given permission to meet him. However, PTI founder’s three sisters along with party workers continue to stage a sit-in at 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 Gorakhpur checkpoint earlier in the day and moved towards the factory checkpoint.
Aleema said the recitation of the Holy Quran had been delayed because the roads were blocked. “Checkpoints have been set up everywhere. Wherever people are stopped, they will recite the Koran there,” she said.
She alleged that PTI founder Imran Khan was kept in solitary confinement, adding that his solitary confinement demonstrated fear. “What do they have to gain by keeping him in prison? Continuous solitary confinement clearly shows that they are afraid of him,” she said.
Aleema said Khan wanted to talk about people’s freedom. She claimed that the country’s economy had been destroyed and called on police officers to show compassion to workers but not to follow illegal orders. She said the country was not being managed properly and people had become frustrated. “We are coming to meet him, but meetings are not facilitated,” she added, claiming that the media avoided even mentioning the PTI founder while giving coverage to international leaders.
The sit-in led by Aleema continues at the factory’s checkpoint on Adiala Road, Rawalpindi. The PTI founder’s two other 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 sitting. After the incident, the participants moved to another location. The police later removed the water tanker from the demonstration site.
