Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to launch nationwide movement from August 5 for Imran Khan’s release
Islamabad, July 16 (IANS) Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentary committee has decided to hold a nationwide movement starting August 5 for the release of party chief Imran Khan and to raise other demands, according to local media reports.
August 5 will mark the completion of three years of Imran Khan’s imprisonment.
The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by PTI’s interim chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. During the meeting, the PTI leaders discussed matters about the party’s parliamentary affairs, leading Pakistani daily Dawn reported.
Speaking to Dawn, PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja said that the lawmakers decided to choose August 5 to launch its movement, which will include public meetings, demonstrations and a long march.
He further said, “It was also decided that Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas’s opinions will be sought for finalising the protest plans and other activities.”
While addressing a press conference, Gohar Ali Khan said that the meeting discussed the health of Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi. He said August 5 will mark the completion of Imran Khan’s third year in prison.
He said that courts were not giving justice to Imran Khan and injustice in the country must come to an end.
Earlier in June, Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi approached Pakistan’s Supreme Court against the Islamabad High Court’s decision in the £190m Al-Qadir University Project Trust case. In the petition, the couple have requested the court to suspend their convictions and release them pending appeal, local media reported on Tuesday.
The couple approached the apex court after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) rejected their petitions seeking the suspension of their sentences in the £190 million corruption case in May and stated that their main appeals were already fixed for hearing, Pakistan’s another daily ‘The News International’ reported.
In the petition in the apex court, Imran Khan and his wife stated that the IHC ignored the key points of the case even after admitting the appeal as maintainable. The petition argued that rejecting the suspension plea without carrying out a preliminary review of the evidence was legally incorrect and that it is legally allowed to analyse case merits while deciding on suspension of sentence.
The petition stated that the court had granted the bail and declared the allegations baseless during the trial. It further said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) repeatedly requested adjournments, prolonging the appeal and causing delay in justice.
The petition highlighted serious health concerns faced by Imran Khan and his wife during their detention and mentioned that PTI founder developed an eye condition. It contended that not releasing Imran Khan despite serious health conditions amounts to injustice, ‘The News International’ reported.
The petition stated that Imran Khan faced mental stress due to solitary confinement and termed the manner of his arrest unlawful and irresponsible. The petition requested the Supreme Court to declare the IHC order null and void, suspend the sentence and order immediate release of Imran Khan and his wife.
–IANS
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