Barrister Gohar, PTI Chairman. Photo: File
ISLAMABAD:
PTI Chairman Barr Gohar on Monday urged National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to actively intervene to reduce political tensions, warning that confrontation with state institutions could push the country towards instability.
During the NA session chaired by President Ayaz Sadiq, Barrister Gohar said the country could not afford more chaos and stressed that any escalation against institutions would be dangerous.
He asked the speaker to play a role in resolving the leadership question regarding the opposition leader and wider political tensions.
Responding to the call, the National Assembly spokesperson said that blaming institutions would serve no purpose and stressed that solutions could only emerge through dialogue.
He said the case related to the opposition leader was pending and added that he would announce a decision as soon as a court order was received.
Accepting Gohar’s offer to help begin talks, the speaker once again called on the government and opposition to resume negotiations.
The speaker further said he remained ready to play his part, saying it takes two to tango and assured that he would also engage with the government.
He warned that statements targeting institutions were not in the national interest and stressed that neither Parliament nor the country benefited from such rhetoric.
He added that the institutions belong to everyone, guard the country’s borders and are engaged in the fight against terrorism and urged MPs to focus on the constitutional responsibilities of Parliament, saying lasting solutions can only be achieved through dialogue within Parliament.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters outside Parliament, PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan’s lawyer on Monday questioned the legality of what he described as a ban on the party, asking how such action could be taken without the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issuing any formal certificate.
On Sunday, the poll monitoring body refused to recognize Gohar as party president.
In response to Gohar’s earlier letter, the ECP said that on November 13, it had sought recognition of the affiliation of independent senators to the PTI.
The commission noted that the PTI intra-party elections case was still pending and the party had obtained a stay order from the Lahore High Court (LHC). According to the ECP, he could not be recognized as PTI chairman as he did not hold any legal authority.
On January 13, 2024, a three-member bench of the Supreme Court upheld the December 22, 2023 order of the ECP declaring the PTI intra-party polls null and void.
Later, PTI candidates had to contest the general elections on February 8, 2024 as independents.
Eighty of these independent candidates reached the National Assembly and later joined the SIC with the apparent aim of demanding seats reserved for women and minorities. The ECP, however, refused to allocate the seats to the party, a decision which the SIC challenged in the Supreme Court.
On July 12, 2024, the full apex court, by a majority of eight to five, resurrected the PTI as a parliamentary party, noting that 39 of the legislators who had submitted PTI affiliation certificates along with their nomination papers were already PTI legislators.
The top court ruled that the remaining 41 MPs who had not submitted their affiliation certificates at the time of submitting nominations can now do so within 15 days.
The ruling coalition then filed a review petition against the Supreme Court’s decision, which the Constitutional Court reviewed in May.
Gohar said the election supervisor had not provided PTI with any written notice or certificate regarding the party’s ban. “If no certificate has been issued, how can the Election Commission impose a ban on PTI? he asked.
He said the PTI Balochistan chapter did not field any candidate in the local elections and the party contested the general elections on the platform of Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
The PTI chairman said banning political parties was not a solution, adding that it was unfortunate for the country if even two years later, politics continued to revolve around the events of May 9.
He said the country’s 250 million people were looking to Parliament with hope for improvement.
Gohar said no politics should be played during the meeting between PTI founder Imran Khan and his sisters, stressing that efforts to reduce tensions between political institutions and parties must continue. Dialogue between political and democratic forces, he said, leads to better results.
Making an international comparison, he noted that Europe had fought world wars but now shared a single currency and passport, adding that some elements did not want Pakistan’s situation to improve. He alleged that “Form 47 beneficiaries” were also opposed to positive change.
He said the culture of blame must end, adding that the doors to political dialogue must always remain open.
