Requires access to PTI founder; condemns police action against party leaders, workers and Imran’s family members
ISLAMABAD:
An opposition party alliance – Tehreek Tahaffuz Ain-e-Pakistan (TTAP) – will hold a consultative conference in Islamabad on 20-21. December to discuss the political climate, constitutional issues and restrictions imposed on visitors to meet PTI’s jailed founder Imran Khan.
Opposition parties, bar councils and human rights organizations will be invited to the conference.
The TTAP leaders made this announcement after an emergency meeting of the alliance in the wake of a police crackdown on PTI leaders, workers and Imran Khan’s family members outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail in the wee hours of Wednesday.
Authorities reportedly used water cannons to disperse protesters, including the sisters of Imran Khan, who were staging a sit-in outside Adiala jail after being denied a meeting with the former prime minister.
In a post on X, the party said: “Pakistani authorities used water cannons to disperse Imran Khan’s sisters and peaceful PTI workers outside Adiala jail, despite a court order allowing a meeting with the jailed former prime minister.
“This brutal crackdown on a peaceful sit-in violates basic human rights and freedom of assembly in freezing weather!” It also shared a video of a water cannon being used as people, bundled up against the cold, fled the scene.
The meeting, led by TTAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, condemned the police action, terming it a violation of court orders on visiting rights. It demanded that the government restore meeting access to Imran Khan before any talks could proceed.
Later during a joint press conference, Achakzai said that the way the government treated PTI leaders, supporters and family members of Imran showed that the constitution was no longer working.
He said if the government intended to hold dialogue with the opposition, it must first restore access to the PTI founder. “When public anger erupts, nothing remains in control,” he warned.
PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan said the PTI remained in parliament despite electoral mandate issues, but threats and confrontation had increased.
PTI chairman Barrister Gohar reiterated his party’s claims that their “mandate had been stolen” in the last general election.
“We didn’t stage a sit-in back then […] We sat in parliament believing that our voices will be heard and that a solution will be found to our and the people’s difficulties,” he said, adding that there had been several confrontations over the past two years.
But, he continued, “at some point common sense should prevail”.
Apparently referring to the bar for meetings with jailed PTI founder Imran Khan, he added: “If you keep parents in jail, […] how can the children sit with you? And if you don’t understand this, the public will probably make you understand.’
He emphasized again that the use of force would not yield any results. “Common sense should prevail.”
Without naming anyone, he said: “If you want to create distance between [Imran] Khan and the people, it is not possible.” In this regard, he also claimed that Imran had the support of at least 70 percent of the people of the country.
“Do not get angry with the people of Pakistan,” he warned, adding that “we have not done anything against the constitution”.
He stressed that meetings with Imran should be allowed, pointing out that the High Court had also issued an order directing that meetings with the former prime minister be allowed.
“If you create obstacles [in this regard]then we don’t know what your intentions are. But if you get a response from the other side, the country and democracy will suffer a loss,” he warned, adding that if the government did not want the PTI to sit in parliament.
He also addressed the media earlier in the day and objected to the resolution passed by the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday.
The government, he said, was trying to “pit federating units against each other.”
“You isolate a major political party. Does removing them from due process save democracy?” asked the PTI chairman.
He criticized the suspension of meetings with Imran based on PTI’s social media posts, and questioned why people were not allowed to meet even Imran’s spouse Bushra Bibi, who is also detained at the same facility.
PTI’s Asad Qaiser noted that the incident showed that there is no government in the country and only fascism rules. He demanded a judicial inquiry into the Adiala incident.
PTI’s Aamir Dogar also condemned the police action and alleged that they used chemically mixed water on PTI legislators. He said a privilege motion would be tabled in Parliament. Junaid Akbar Khan also spoke on the occasion and questioned the justification of restricting social media visits.
The PTI, he said, had also been deprived of election symbols and reserved seats and that such repressive measures increased public resentment and damaged institutional credibility.
Earlier, a PTI statement called the incident “state-sponsored violence” and alleged that peaceful supporters – including women – were attacked with excessive force.
The party claimed that media teams were pushed back to prevent coverage and that several workers sustained injuries. Earlier, speaking outside Parliament, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan warned that ongoing restrictions could escalate tensions.
