Lahore:
The secretary general of Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI), Salman Akram Raja, called for a national demonstration on August 5, urging the public to gather behind what he described as a “historical movement”.
Maked the party’s struggle as a fight for national sovereignty rather than a simple political survival, Raja called for mass participation to defend democratic rights.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore on Monday alongside the senior PTI leaders, he condemned what he called unconstitutional actions targeting PTI legislators, describing a broader repression of dissent.
He criticized the decision of the Punjab Assembly to send references against 26 members of the PTI to the Pakistan Electoral Commission, qualifying the illegal and politically motivated move. “Our members will continue to raise their voice against this unconstitutional stage,” he said.
Raja accused the government of having systematically sidelined more than 100 elected members of the PTI by manipulating form 47 during the electoral process. “It is not only political engineering-it is an assault against the mandate of the people,” he said.
He also allegedly alleged that the demonstrations of May 9 had been deliberately distorted, saying that what had started as a peaceful demonstration was described later as a violent plot. He called for the formation of a judicial commission to investigate events and asked for the release of video surveillance sequences to support the allegations brought against PTI supporters.
“In prison, Imran Khan continues to rent our members of the assembly for a permanent company,” noted Raja, adding that the founder of the PTI was denied legal and family access and is subject to difficult conditions, including long hours without ventilation.
He warned that Pakistan’s political and judicial systems were at a critical moment, describing on July 21 as potentially “a dark day in political and judicial history”. Raja criticized the use of anti-sedition laws by the State and the law on the prevention of electronic crimes (PECA) to suppress dissent both in politics and journalism.
He also rejected speculations on internal agreements within the party, arguing that the members of the PTI remain united and engaged in their political position. “We are not looking back. If someone has dropped their reference, that does not mean that there was an agreement,” he said.
Reaffirming the constitutional position of the party, Raja said: “Disqualification is only possible in articles 62 and 63. No one can be disqualified beyond this.” He added that the truth had indeed been criminalized and expressed his concern about the erosion of freedom of expression.
The press conference took a controversial turn when a journalist asked if Raja’s rhetoric aimed to keep the founder of PTI behind bars, and inquired about the nature of the planned demonstration. Raja replied calmly, declaring that he had recently met the head of the PTI Aliya Hamza to discuss organizational issues.
However, Pti Mpa Farrukh Javed Moon interrupted, labeling the question of the journalist “stupid” and telling him to “lower your voice”, accusing him of being disrespectful. The confrontation encouraged Moon to get out of the press conference, while other journalists protested against his behavior. Raja tried to defuse the situation and urged the restraint.
Despite the disruption, he reiterated PTI’s desire to engage in dialogue and responsibility. “We want the truth to prevail-if someone deserves a punishment, let justice follow their course. But do not punish political dissent,” he said.
Raja concluded by affirming that the PTI remains strong inside and outside the Parliament and rejected the ongoing efforts to put the party as futile away. “People are still with Imran Khan,” he said. “Whether it is the 27th or 28th constitutional amendment – that will not change the truth.”
