- Ex-PM endorses boycott of by-elections, committee resignations.
- PTI urges national flood response plan like counterterrorism.
- Gohar stresses consensus on dams, focus on flood relief.
Incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has said the party’s decision to resign from National Assembly (NA) standing committees is “final and irreversible.”
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, quoting the jailed ex-prime minister, said that Khan fully endorsed the party’s decision to boycott by-elections and supported the resignations submitted by members from parliamentary committees.
Talking to journalists after his meeting with the PTI founder at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, Gohar said Khan also insisted that those who resigned from the committees should also return official vehicles and drivers.
His remarks came hours after the former ruling party boycott National Assembly (NA) sessions.
The development comes against the backdrop of multiple disqualifications of PTI lawmakers, including former leader of the opposition in the NA and Senate Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz, after the courts sentenced them in cases related to the May 9 riots — further exacerbating the former ruling party’s existing legal woes.
The PTI chairman said that Khan directed the party to extend maximum support to flood victims.
Gohar urged the federal government to formulate a national action plan for flood emergency response similar to that against terrorism.
He emphasised the need for building dams with consensus and said that the Council of Common Interests (CCI) also stressed on unanimity on the construction of canals.
Gohar said that flood-related matters should not be politicised as the public needed relief.
The PTI founder also conveyed his condolences over earthquake casualties in Afghanistan, and expressed reservations on the repatriation of Afghan refugees.
On political matters, Gohar said the PTI founder clarified that dialogues were necessary to resolve political issues, but confirmed no current negotiations were underway with the government.
He reiterated that Sher Afzal Marwat was not part of the party, and noted that opposition leadership in the assembly would remain with Omar and Shibli until court decisions were finalised.
Gohar criticised the government for isolating the PTI founder’s family, disqualifying senior leaders, and attempting to silence the party’s voice in parliament.
He said PTI’s struggle would continue and clarified that there was no division in the party.
