Summary Says PTI is a political force rooted in the people and maintains the party has been peaceful and would continue to remain peaceful
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan has said that his party will not take the law into its own hands, stressing that Pakistan and the state come first.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Barrister Gohar said PTI was a political force rooted in the people and maintained that the party had been peaceful and would continue to remain so.
“We were peaceful, are peaceful and will remain peaceful,” he said, adding that the country could not afford further violence and that those in power should understand the sentiments of the people.
Barrister Gohar said political contacts had not been severed, adding that negotiations and communication remained possible. He said threats from either side would not improve the situation and urged stakeholders to focus on arrangements for the country rather than their own interests.
He rejected suggestions that PTI planned to attack Islamabad, saying that if the party travelled to the capital, its supporters would carry Pakistani flags and chant slogans in support of PTI founder Imran Khan.
“We will never take the law into our own hands. Pakistan and the state come first,” he reiterated.
The PTI chairman also claimed that his party had not been allowed to hold a single long march during four years, while 11 long marches had been held by others over a three-year period.
He said PTI's demand was for fair decisions in cases involving the party's founder.
Barrister Gohar said negotiations had previously been offered but the process was not taken forward. He claimed that around 1,500 PTI workers had been arrested and that members of the assemblies had also been detained.
He further alleged that PTI ministers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been arrested and questioned the reasons for their detention.
Barrister Gohar said PTI was being provoked but would not respond through violence.
Instead, he said, the party would continue raising its voice for the rights of its founder and supporters.
He called for PTI's demands to be pursued through democratic means and urged implementation of court decisions. He also questioned the demolition of houses belonging to party supporters, saying citizens had the right to ask questions about such actions.
