Arif Alvi stressed that ‘real freedom’ can only be achieved through self-respecting leadership that refuses to compromise…reports Asian Lite News
Former President Arif Alvi said on Saturday that Imran Khan, former PM and the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party who is currently detained in Adiala Jail, would prefer to remain behind bars rather than make ‘any deal,’ ARY News reported.
While speaking to lawyers at Sialkot district bar after their meeting with Imran Khan, Alvi stressed that ‘real freedom’ can only be achieved through self-respecting leadership that refuses to compromise.
Further, the former president remarked on his longstanding relationship with Prime Minister Imran Khan, noting that all institutions are currently headed towards a dead end. “When someone reaches a dead end, matters tend to deteriorate,” he added, as per ARY News.
Quoting the deposed premier, the former president said: “There is no way forward without the supremacy of Constitution,” emphasising that dialogue is the only way out.
Earlier, it was reported that Arif Alvi was given an “important responsibility” by party chief Imran Khan to “resolve things” through dialogue.
According to ARY News, this was revealed during a press conference held by PTI leaders, including National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub, Arif Alvi, and PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan, outside Adiala jail after their meeting with the ex-PM in the jail.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) underwent a significant shift in its stance on engaging in dialogue with the establishment following the press conference by the Director-General (DG) of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), which called for an apology from the party regarding the events of May 9.
Speaking at ARY News programme ‘Khabar’, PTI leader Asad Qaiser said that his party does not want to engage in talks with anyone, emphasising that it only seeks to uphold “constitutional and legal supremacy.”
The May 9 events refer to violent protests that erupted after PTI founder Imran Khan was arrested from the premises of Islamabad High Court in a corruption case in 2023.
During the protests, alleged PTI supporters caused damage to public and private properties and even targeted military installations in various parts of Pakistan.
‘Agencies must stop interfering in politics’
The PTI core committee has called the recent press conference by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director general “unconstitutional and illegal,” Pakistan-based Dawn reported. PTI core committee said security agencies should stop the “absurd tradition of interfering in politics”.
According to PTI central media department’s official announcement, the PTI’s top leadership “unanimously rebuffed” the ISPR DG’s demand for an apology. It said that “propaganda” was being conducted against the PTI under the guise of a “false flag operation” on May 9, 2023.
The PTI condemned the government’s action against what it termed “nationwide peaceful protests” against the “May 9 false flag operation” on Thursday, according to Dawn report. Imran Khan-founded party alleged state oppression and fascism was being used to “usurp people’s basic political right to protest.”
The party’s committee criticized the ongoing “politics of revenge” and what it termed “attempts to crush and dismantle” PTI under “the guise of the May 9 false flag operation” and stressed that such actions should be stopped.
They also condemned the alleged interference by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in the nominations of election tribunal judges by the Lahore High Court chief justice and called it “criminal and totally unacceptable.”
While addressing a news conference on Friday, PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan slammed Punjab police action against “peaceful” protesters of his party on Thursday.
Khan said that the “fascist and mandate-less governments in the Centre and Punjab” were standing on crutches and their days were numbered, Dawn reported. He said the rule of law gets eroded when intelligence agencies meddle in political and judicial affairs.
Last week, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) demanded an independent inquiry after Pakistan’s former caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi got into a heated exchange, The Express Tribune reported.
A PTI spokesperson said the heated exchange between the two leaders served as an insight to expose the alleged stealing of its electoral malfeasance, according to the report.
After the exchange of words between Kakar and Abbasi, PTI demanded a judicial commission to hold accountable those involved in the wheat import scheme and electoral manipulation.
The spokesperson demanded a thorough investigation to uncover the truth behind the alleged manipulation of election results and the fabrication of Form-47. PTI’s statement came after reports detailed a tense confrontation between Kakar and Abbasi.
During the heated exchange, Kakar purportedly issued a warning, suggesting that revealing certain information about Form-47 could leave the party nowhere to hide, according to The Express Tribune report.
Tensions between the two leaders started over the wheat scandal during a meeting at a private hotel, The Express Tribune reported, citing the sources familiar with the matter. Abbasi allegedly faced criticism for blaming Kakar’s tenure as Pakistan’s Caretaker PM for a wheat scam during a television interview. (ANI)
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