- Gohar says ECP handed reserved seats to other parties.
- Don’t take your hatred for PTI to such extremes: Gohar.
- Senator Faraz says man in jail only hope for the country.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Saturday called on Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi to ensure the provision of justice, warning that failure to uphold the Constitution could push the country into darkness.
Addressing a press conference alongside senior PTI leader Shibli Faraz, Gohar expressed deep disappointment in the Supreme Court’s recent decision on reserved seats, saying that “injustice today is worse than it was in the 1990s.”
The decision, handed down by a majority of seven judges, supersedes the July 12, 2024, majority judgement by eight judges, which had declared the PTI eligible for reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in the assemblies.
By a seven-judge majority, the court has set aside the July 12, 2024, ruling by eight judges that granted PTI the right to reserved seats for women and non-Muslims.
He urged the judiciary to correct what he described as a blatant disregard for the party’s mandate.
“Don’t take your hatred for PTI to such extremes — it will affect the entire country,” he said, adding that PTI members had joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) in accordance with the law and that the party had submitted all relevant documentation to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) within the required timeframe.
Gohar maintained that although 86 PTI-backed candidates had been notified, the ECP still handed reserved seats meant for SIC to other parties, alleging that the process was rigged and unconstitutional.
“We had every reason to believe that we would get our rightful share. Those seats were unjustly taken from us and handed to mandate thieves,” he said.
He also criticised the Supreme Court’s decision not to form a full bench to review the reserved seats case, saying a full court hearing would have resolved the issue more fairly. “The 26th Constitutional Amendment case should have been heard first,” he added.
‘Some will be held accountable here, others before God’
Meanwhile, Senator Faraz condemned the “systematic suppression” of PTI during the elections, highlighting that the party’s symbol was snatched, candidates were harassed, and Senate elections were never held in KP, despite being conducted in other provinces.
“Elections were delayed until the establishment thought PTI was done for,” he remarked.
Faraz further stated that in today’s digital age, everything is being recorded. “Some will be held accountable here, and others before God,” he said.
He warned of worsening conditions in the country, citing rising inflation, lack of investment, and growing insecurity. “There is no plan for development, no strategy to end reliance on loans. The people’s purchasing power has dropped by 58%,” he said.
He concluded by saying that the only ray of hope for the country was the man currently being kept in jail, referring to PTI founder Imran Khan.
