Imran draws CJP Isa’s attention to the “victimization” of PTI

Imran Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), wrote Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa on Thursday, requesting proactive action against his party’s political victimization as well as the kidnappings and disappearances of its representatives.

Imran stressed the need to uphold Article 184(3) of the Pakistani Constitution, which protects people’s “right to liberty, to associate, assemble, and speak” regardless of their political membership, in a seven-page paper.

In his letter, the PTI president pleaded for the creation of a committee to look into the disappearances of PTI political activists and journalists.

In addition to the arbitrary arrests, the letter stated that “these disappearances or abductions have spread fear throughout society and are a grotesque affront to the claim that Pakistan is a country ruled by a constitution and a set of laws.”

“Today, the power to prosecute and arrest is being used in a blatant attempt to engineer and skew the political landscape of the country,” Imran stated in a letter.

He went on to say that “coverage without any restriction or discrimination” should be granted to all political parties, including the PTI.

It is important to remember that the former prime minister’s remarks and live broadcasts have been prohibited by the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA).

“Therefore, the competent authority, i.e., Chairman PEMRA, hereby prohibits the broadcast or rebroadcast of the speech(s) or press talks (recorded or live) of Mr. Imran Khan on all satellite TV channels with immediate effect,” PEMRA stated in a six-page document.

Regarding the May 9 riots, Imran contended that a significant number of women detained in Lahore constituted a “tragic indictment of law enforcement”. He claimed that these women had been detained for six months and that in one instance, additional arrests had occurred after bail had been granted.

The PTI chief singled out the authorities in Punjab, Khyber-Paktunkhwa, and Islamabad for their “maltreatment.”

The PTI employee is “being targeted through the registration of multiple and successive criminal cases so as to ensure continued imprisonment,” the letter went on to say.

Imran claimed that party employees were being detained again because he was demanding that a fair trial be held in their place.

The phenomenon of people related to the PTI or the administration led by the PTI going missing between August 2018 and April 2022 cannot be ignored by the highest court. These people have reappeared and given obviously scripted press conferences.

“There is no chance that a fair general election will be held on February 8, 2024, unless the supreme court steps in to stop the widespread arrests and kidnappings that are currently taking place,” Imran concluded