Gohar demands immediate meetings with Imran Khan

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Tuesday demanded the immediate restoration of meetings with party founder Imran Khan, saying restrictions on access to the former prime minister had continued for 375 days.

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Gohar said Tuesday was a designated day for meetings with Imran and urged the authorities to allow party leaders and family members to see him.

“Today is the day for meeting the PTI founder, and the meeting should take place,” he said.

The PTI chairman described keeping Imran in jail without access to his family as inhuman treatment. He argued that regular meetings with the party founder could have helped ease political tensions and improved the overall political situation.

Gohar said restrictions on meetings had complicated political affairs, while political tensions and what he described as victimisation of the opposition continued to intensify.

He also criticised political opponents for allegedly taking advantage of the emergency and governor’s rule imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). He said the party would present details of the developments at a parliamentary meeting attended by senators and members of the National Assembly.

Calling for renewed engagement between the government and opposition, Gohar said political disputes could only be resolved through negotiations. He urged the government to begin meaningful talks at the earliest opportunity.

A day earlier, Gohar accused the federal government of using the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in KP to target the PTI politically.

He said the party opposed both measures but supported efforts to eliminate terrorism, stressing that security concerns should not be used as a justification for political action against the provincial party leadership.

The PTI chairman also criticised the extension of the detention of Imran’s sisters for another 30 days. He described Aleema Khan as a non-political figure and questioned the decision to extend her detention.

Gohar further claimed that 12 PTI members of the National Assembly were being held and said the party did not know the whereabouts of its chief minister.

The dispute over emergency rule and the governor’s administration has intensified amid deteriorating security conditions and growing tensions between the federal government and the PTI-led provincial leadership.

Federal ministers have accused the provincial administration of failing to address terrorism and governance challenges. The PTI, however, has rejected the allegations and opposed federal intervention.

The government has defended its position by citing constitutional provisions that allow extraordinary measures under certain circumstances. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and other officials have argued that the security situation warrants intervention.