ISLAMABAD: Casting aspersions on the role of the top judge in a case regarding the allocation of reserved seats for the Sunni Ittehad Council, the PTI warned on Wednesday that the growing rift between the people and state institutions could culminate in a catastrophic consequence, if left unaddressed.

Speaking at a press conference along with PTI Core Committee member Abuzar Salman Niazi, PTI Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan said that a majority of the members of a full Supreme Court bench hearing pleas regarding reserved seats in the assemblies, were in agreement that the ECP had misinterpreted the apex court’s ruling, unfairly depriving PTI of its ‘bat’ symbol, thereby affirming PTI’s right to those seats.

Mr Hasan said the PTI was not being given permission to hold public meetings, and announced that the party would proceed with a scheduled gathering on July 6 at Tarnol, warning that the government would be held responsible for any consequences that may arise.

Referring to the US House of Representatives’ recent resolution and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s report, he said that while the government viewed such interventions as an infringement on Pakistan’s sovereignty, democratic forces who advocate for human rights welcomed these developments as a crucial step towards upholding the rights of the people.

Fawad calls on party to move Supreme Judicial Council against CJP, CEC

He said the PTI welcomed the developments not because they constituted an interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs, but as a reflection of the innate desire of the Pakistani people who yearn for democracy, freedom of expression, the right to vote, and free, fair, and transparent elections in the country.

Mr Hasan said the PTI would utilise all legal and constitutional means and exercise its rights to secure the earliest release of Imran Khan.

Speaking on the occasion, Abuzar Salman Niazi said that as a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Pakistan had a fundamental obligation to implement all legal and human rights in their true sense.

He said the UN Working Group’s report pointed out that Pakistan government was not only violating the international laws and regulations but its own laws and the Constitution.

He said there were reports of a revival of the ‘doctrine of necessity’ and the CJP was coming always to the rescue of the electoral body.

He also took exception to the statement that PTI did not hold intra-party polls, despite the fact that it held party polls three times.

Mr Niazi lamented that a full court bench was not constituted to hear the case of civilians’ trial in military courts, and noted the stark contrast in the prioritisation of cases, where the ‘bat’ symbol case was heard at 12pm, while the case of individuals who had been languishing in jails for over a year was delayed for 70 days.

Reference against CJP, CEC

Separately, in a video message, former PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday asked the party leadership to file a reference in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against CJP Qazi Faez Isa and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja for what he called “being part and parcel in rigging election and prevailing lawlessness in the country”.

He said if the PTI did not file the reference against the CJP and the CEC, it meant that its leadership wanted to keep Imran Khan in jail.

Mr Chaudhry said it was a misconception to think that the military establishment was acting against the PTI, insisting that state functionaries were actually behind the oppression and tyranny being faced by the main opposition party.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2024