Journalism of Courage
The members of the national and provincial assemblies and the Senate of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) have decided to hold peaceful protests outside the Islamabad High Court and Adiala jail in Rawalpindi every Tuesday for delays in the hearing of cases of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi said on Wednesday, Dawn reported.
Afridi further requested PTI secretary general Salman Akram Raja to ensure that PTI party members of the national and provincial assemblies and the Senate make their presence on every Tuesdays outside the high court. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister also urged the PTI workers to “ensure their elected representatives are present at the protest.”
During a ceremony in Peshawar on Wednesday, Afridi instructed the PTI workers saying, “After the peaceful protest outside the Islamabad High Court until 1pm, lawmakers will march on Adiala Jail [in Rawalpindi] along with Imran’s sisters and sit outside the jail,” Dawn reported.
The ceremony was held to mark the day when PTI workers had died on November 26, 2024 in the provincial capital. The workers were allegedly fired upon while they were staging protests at D-Chowk in Islamabad last year.
Detailing about the plan, CM Afridi said that a political gathering is scheduled to take place in the provincial capital on December 7 and that he himself would visit Adiala jail on every Thursday until he meets Imran Khan, who has been behind the prison for over two years.
Taking a jibe at the recent constitutional amendment in Pakistan which has the potential to undermine higher judiciary, Afridi said, “The courts were paralysed through the 26th Constitutional Amendment and the rest was done in the 27th Constitutional Amendment. Now, the 28th Constitutional Amendment is in the works and it will be followed by the 29th Constitutional Amendment.”
Imran Khan has been sentenced to 14 years in prison over a corruption case. The former prime minister is facing charges over 100 cases, ranging from leaking state secrets to selling state gifts.
