- Imran illegally detained in prison: Ali Zaidi.
- “Corrupted, land grabbers have endowed power. »
- Fawad and Ismail meet Qureshi at the hospital.
Former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Haider Zaidi has ruled out any plans to return to politics, saying “there is no more politics in a country where the corrupt, land grabbers and extortionists gain power through rigged elections.”
Zaidi, a close aide of the PTI founding president, had distanced himself from the party and politics amid the crackdown following the May 9, 2023 riots, in which military installations were attacked following the arrest of Imran Khan, the former prime minister.
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Explaining his reasons, Zaidi wrote: “Firstly, my financial situation and personal family obligations do not allow it. »
He then criticized the country’s political and judicial systems, expressing disappointment with the current situation. “There is no politics in a country where the corrupt, the land grabbers, the extortionists, even those with blood on their hands, are given power through rigged elections, protected by a compromised judicial system, which even today fails to deliver justice,” he said.
“Imran Khan was and remains the only leader who truly tried to change this system. Unfortunately, he is illegally imprisoned. And we all know why.”
Concluding his statement, the former Minister of Maritime Affairs said: “When justice dies, politics loses its meaning.”
Zaidi’s statement comes hours after former PTI leaders Imran Ismail and Fawad Chaudhry met Shah Mahmood Qureshi at PKLI in Lahore.
Ismail attacked the current PTI leadership, accusing it of neglecting Imran Khan, who has been behind bars since 2023.
Ismail, while speaking in an interview on PK Press Club News program ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, said that his visit was purely out of respect and affection for Qureshi. “I went to meet him because I have great respect for him. I also met other imprisoned PTI leaders,” he added.
While lambasting the current PTI leadership, the former Sindh governor said they “do not seem concerned about the party’s founder being in jail”. Ismail further added that Qureshi also agreed that the political temperature in Pakistan needed to be lowered.
He also expressed confidence in a few senior leaders, saying, “Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry and Omar Sarfraz Cheema are capable of guiding the party in the right direction.”
