Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders were refused permission to meet the party’s incarcerated founder, Imran Khan, at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, despite waiting for several hours outside the facility on Thursday.
Senator Shibli Faraz, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, and Omar Ayub, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, expressed their outrage over the “humiliation” they faced while attempting to visit Khan in prison.
Speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail, Faraz emphasised the unity within PTI, stating, “We are all united and there are no rifts among the party’s ranks and files. We are all on the same page.”
The leaders were adamant about their right to meet Khan, asserting that their positions as elected representatives entitled them to visit their party leader.
“We came to meet our leader in jail. It’s our right to do so. We have been elected to the assemblies through elections, and we are loyal to our party,” he added.
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Faraz’s comments on party unity came after Imran Khan acknowledged the existence of factions within PTI but dismissed rumours of a forward bloc.
Khan reiterated that there were no significant divisions within the party during his appearance in a courtroom at Adiala Jail on Wednesday.
Faraz criticised the treatment they received, highlighting that they were not even allowed to sit in the jail’s mosque while waiting.
“I am the leader of the Opposition in the Senate and Omar Ayub is the leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly. But we were forced to wait outside the jail,” he said.
Ayub expressed his frustration, recounting how they were told by a senior official that jail authorities had received orders to deny them access.
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“They believe they can psychologically pressure us,” he remarked, adding that the meeting with Khan had been scheduled according to judicial orders.
PTI leaders vowed to stand by Khan and not be swayed by any propaganda or attempts to create divisions within the party.
Shehryar Afridi, another PTI leader present at the scene, declared, “We will not surrender to whatever they may do as we are the PTI founder’s soldiers and can do anything for him.”
Shandana Gulzar, another party member, dismissed reports of internal differences as baseless, affirming, “I would not have shown up if I had a difference of opinion.”
The PTI leaders also indicated their intention to pursue accountability through a privilege motion in the National Assembly, underscoring their commitment to supporting Imran Khan and maintaining party unity in the face of external pressures.
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