PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Hammad Azhar on Wednesday said the judiciary should play its constitutional duties, check the victimisation of political workers, and save the country from “further destruction.”

During a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club, Mr Hammad claimed he was implicated in 51 fake cases for speaking against the plunderers of national wealth.

He said detained PTI founder Imran Khan was fighting for the people’s rights, so he would continue standing with him.

“I will never leave my leader [Imran] and will continue to be loyal to him, the party, and the workers,” he said, urging superior courts to dispense justice to the victims of political victimisation.

Hammad also calls for probe into ‘poisoning’ of Bushra Bibi in sub-jail

The PTI leader said the party’s activists were approaching the Peshawar High Court to claim legal rights, and the other courts should think about it.

He said the Punjab police had falsely claimed to have registered 23 cases against him.

“I’ve been named in 51 cases in Punjab just because of my loyalty to Imran in testing times,” he said.

Mr Hammad complained that the Punjab police arrested his 82-year-old father, raided the houses of his sisters, and threatened to arrest them.

He claimed that hundreds of PTI leaders and workers were oppressed by authorities in the last 10 months.

The PTI leader demanded that the chief justice of Pakistan intervene for the relief of those detainees.

He said if the CJP was under pressure not to dispense justice in cases of political victimisation, then he should step down.

Mr Hammad said Imran had always raised his voice for the rights of the people, the strengthening of the judiciary, the rule of law, and the upholding of the Constitution.

He said many attempts were made to suppress the PTI founder, but to no avail, as he didn’t bow down to the “unprecedented pressure.”

The PTI leader criticised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his cabinet for “failure” to deliver the goods.

“The common man is struggling to make ends meet due to the high inflation rate of 28 per cent. The negative national growth rate will add to his misery,” he said.

Mr Hammad said the country’s largest province, Punjab, was handed over to the PML-N through manipulation of election results.

He said the PTI didn’t make any deals with the rulers to serve its own interests, and instead opted to fight for people’s rights and freedom.

The PTI leader voiced concern over “threats” to the lives of the members of higher judiciary and demanded the formation of a full court by the Supreme Court chief justice to look into the matter.

He said had such threats been reported in a western country, its government would have fallen.

Mr Hammad claimed the PTI emerged as the country’s largest political party in the Feb 2024 general elections, but its majority in assemblies was turned into a minority through Form 47 rigging. He complained that the judiciary did not take notice of that electoral injustice against the PTI.

The PTI leader demanded an investigation into the alleged poisoning of the PTI founder’s wife Bushra Bibi at the Banigala sub-jail.

He condemned social media and internet restrictions in the country and urged the people to support his party for the elimination of corrupt rulers.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2024