Islamabad [Pakistan], July 21 : Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday urged the judiciary to take a stand and stop the violation of fundamental rights of members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He said that removing PTI leader Shehryar Afridi from Adiyala Jail by unknown men is "illegal" and demonstrates the "sheer lawlessness and high-handedness" in Pakistan.
Taking to his official Twitter handle, Imran Khan stated, "Removal of Shehryar Afridi from Adiyala Jail day before yesterday by unknown men is completely illegal & shows the sheer lawlessness and high-handedness in the country. As highlighted by his lawyer, the sole purpose of putting Shehryar through this torture and persecution is to coerce him into recording 164 CrPc statement against me. Now he has been slapped with another frivolous FIR in Bhawalpur, accused of being involved in a ridiculous case of stolen wheat. I urge our judiciary to take a stand and stop this complete violation of our fundamental rights and blatant victimisation of members of Pakistan's largest political party."
Earlier on Thursday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Omar Ayub condemned the abduction of PTI senior leader Shehryar Afridi from the Adyala Jail, Pakistan-based The News International reported. He said Afridi was abducted from the Adyala Jail at night after lockdown.
He asked whether the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and other courts would take action against this 'open violation of the Constitution and law of the country,' The News International reported. Omar Ayub said that Shehryar Afridi is under judicial remand and is the responsibility of the court. He condemned the violation of the law and asked whether the jail superintendent would be fired and demanded response from the IG Jails Punjab.
Last week, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said in the event that his party is banned, he will float a new political party to contest the upcoming general elections and will win the elections, Nikkei Asia reported.
In an interview with Nikkei Asia, Imran Khan said, "If they remove the party then we will form a party with a new name and still win the elections." He stressed that his support base remains intact and added that politics in Pakistan has fundamentally changed.
Imran Khan said, "This is not the politics of the 80s and 90s, where influential politicians and [the military] establishment decided which party wins the elections. Now people will vote based on ideology for the first time since 1970," Nikkei Asia reported.
Notably, PTI chairman Imran Khan was ousted from power through a no-confidence motion in 2022. Since his ouster, Imran Khan has been demanding early elections.
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