- August 5 to remain peaceful, constitutional: Qaiser
- Demands fair, merit-based trial for party founder.
- Says Imran Khan won’t make any deal.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Asad Qaiser said on Sunday that all preparations were completed for the upcoming August 5 protest movement for the release of the party’s founder.
The former ruling party has been calling for Imran’s release, who has been behind bars in multiple cases ranging from corruption to terrorism since his ouster from power via the opposition’s no-trust motion in April 2022.
This year, the PTI has announced staging protests across the country on August 5. Former prime minister Imran Khan has ordered every member of his party to immediately set aside all internal differences and focus solely on the party’s August 5 protest.
Addressing a joint press conference with senior PTI leader Shahram Khan Tarakai in Swabi, former NA speaker Asad Qaiser said that preparations for the August 5 protest were complete, adding that the movement would remain peaceful and within the bounds of the Constitution and law.
“This movement is about justice, not confrontation. We want a fair trial of our leader’s [Imran Khan] cases based on merit,” he said.
The former NA speaker recalled that August 5 marks the day when the former PM [Imran Khan] was arrested, and he termed it a turning point for the party’s political course.
“PTI founder’s release could happen within an hour, but he will not make any deal,” he added.
In his presser, he also emphasised the importance of regional trade, particularly with Afghanistan, for the stability of the country’s economy.
‘KP govt trust of Imran’
Meanwhile, KP CM spokesperson Faraz Mughal said that the provincial government is fully aligned with the vision of PTI founder and CM Gandapur will resign the moment he [Imran Khan] instructs.
“The KP government has been entrusted by the PTI founder…. whenever he [Imran Khan] wishes, CM Ali Amin Gandapur will step down,” he said in response to reports that Imran has asked Gandapur to resign if he fails to maintain law and order in the province.
“If Ali Amin Gandapur cannot restore peace, he should step down,” the PTI founder was quoted as saying by sources, who spoke to Geo News on Saturday.
Imran further remarked that if Gandapur is unable to resolve governance issues, someone else should be given a chance
However, Mughal clarified that there has been no confirmed statement from the PTI founder regarding the resignation of the KP chief minister over peace.
Pakistan witnessed a surge in terror activities, particularly in its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan provinces.
At least 476 incidents of terrorism were reported across KP during the first seven months of 2025, according to a police report obtained by Geo News.
The province-wide wave of violence left 121 civilians dead and 301 others injured. In the line of duty, 66 police personnel embraced martyrdom and 90 sustained injuries.
The report also noted that 10 Levies personnel were martyred and 8 injured, while the Frontier Corps (FC) lost 48 personnel with another 109 wounded. Overall, 55 members of other security forces were martyred and 112 were injured during the same period.
