Barrister Gohar rejects governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, alleges political revenge

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Barrister Gohar has rejected the imposition of governor’s rule and an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He alleged that the party was being targeted for political revenge under their cover. Speaking to the media outside Parliament, he said terrorism must be eliminated and there were no two opinions on that. However, he said counter-terrorism should not be used to justify action against political opponents, or political unrest would grow.

According to him, the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have lived in a state of fear, unease and anger for the past four years. He said all political forces must work with a shared resolve to end terrorism.

Barrister Gohar said twelve of the party’s members of the National Assembly remained in custody, while there was no trace of the Chief Minister. He said arrests of workers and raids were continuing, and the party’s flags were being taken down across the province. He also said there was no information on the whereabouts of Wazirullah, a member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. Condemning the 30-day extension in the detention of the sisters of the PTI founder, he said Aleema Khanum was not active in politics.

Speaking about Sohail Afridi, he said the PTI founder had entrusted him with responsibility for the province and, in his view, he had performed very well. According to 24 News HD, he said Sohail Afridi was and would remain the Chief Minister, and any attempt to remove the leadership would fail.

He said PTI was not against state institutions and stood with Pakistan and the state. According to him, the country and the political system were in deadlock and powers had been concentrated in a few hands. The party currently has no contact with the federal government, but talks were necessary to end the deadlock.

According to Hum News, on 11 October President Asif Ali Zardari approved an emergency under Article 232 and governor’s rule under Article 234 on the recommendation of the federal cabinet. The federation cited the deteriorating security situation and the provincial government’s insufficient cooperation in counter-terrorism. A joint session of Parliament approved the resolution on 15 October by 214 votes to 56. PTI has challenged the measures in court. The party has kept its provincial organisational structure in place, with Junaid Akbar Khan remaining provincial president. In his absence, Senator Noorul Haq Qadri will chair meetings.