The Pakistani Party Tehreek-E-insaf (PTI) called on the judiciary to accelerate cases related to an alleged rigging in the national polls of 2024 and to the 26th controversial constitutional amendment, seeking “wise decisions” for the improvement of country.
PTI leaders, including lawyer Gohar Ali Khan, Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz and Salman Akram Raja, held a press conference in Islamabad on Monday to express these requests.
Khan criticized the formation of a “form 47” government, saying that the mandate of the PTI was compromised. He alleged that PTI had filed 74 petitions against the rigging of votes in the February 8 elections, but the courts had not yet issued verdicts.
He also spoke out against the 26th constitutional amendment, which saw the appointment of 46 judges to the higher judicial power, including several before provincial courts.
The appointments were criticized by certain judges of the Supreme Court, the Legal Community and the PTI itself, which boycotted the meeting of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP). PTI demanded that the case concerning the modification be understood and decided quickly.
Ayub also approached the press conference, demanding the release of all political prisoners, including the founder of PTI, Imran Khan, who has been imprisoned since August 2023.
He argued that the judiciary should respect the rule of law and release those which have been held for political accusations, in particular former ministers, party leaders and activists. He stressed that Khan’s prison conditions worsened, with limited access and a lack of equipment.
In addition, the secretary general of the PTI has called for more judges to appoint electoral courts to fight against petitions linked to the elections in Punjab, which currently has only two lawyers who take care of these cases.
Raja stressed that the current Parliament had no legal grounds due to the “stolen mandate” which, according to PTI, was deleted.
Faraz, head of the opposition in the Senate, reiterated that the country could not achieve political stability without free and fair elections, stressing the need for legislation that would relieve the nation.
PTI also works to form a large opposition alliance, with plans of anti-government demonstrations after the EID, led by the founder of the Imran Khan imprisoned party. The Alliance would focus on objectives such as the restoration of the constitution and democracy.
The previous demonstrations of the PTI, in particular after the arrest of Khan in 2023, became violent, which led to clashes with the police and military trials for those involved.
