PTI voices concerns over CJP Isa’s alleged bias

Party’s core committee also denounces ongoing cases against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi

LAHORE:

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has voiced disappointment with Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Justice Qazi Faez Isa, accusing him of displaying anti-judiciary sentiments during a court hearing regarding a letter from judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

In a statement following its core committee meeting, the PTI called for transparency from the CJP, urging him to disclose all responses from high courts concerning the matter. The party criticised the country’s top judge for not prioritising a case of significant constitutional and democratic importance on a daily basis.

During the session held on Tuesday, the PTI core committee also denounced ongoing cases against the party's founding chairman, Imran Khan, and his wife, Bushra Bibi, labeling them as baseless and fabricated. The committee condemned any attempts to pressure judges in these cases, as well as the reported attack on PTI’s lawyer, Senior Advocate Salman Akram Raja.

The meeting covered various topics including organisational matters, the current political landscape, interference in judicial affairs, and the party's strategy for political engagement.

Highlighting alleged interference by secret agencies, the committee echoed concerns raised by IHC judges in their letter, alleging involvement of these forces in attempts to keep Imran Khan and his wife imprisoned.

Also read: Meddling case: CJP Isa says pushing SC to take certain path also interference

Additionally, the committee condemned the adverse economic impact on Punjab's farmers, citing losses in wheat crops and the use of force against peaceful protesters.

Plans for a nationwide peaceful protest movement, sanctioned by Imran Khan, were reviewed during the meeting, along with considerations for political collaboration with parties excluding the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).

Decisions regarding former PTI members who resigned after May 9 were postponed until Imran Khan's release from jail, with the party agreeing to present their requests for re-entry to the chairman upon his release.

Meanwhile, PTI Secretary General and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, strongly condemned the abduction of Advocate Wasim Awan, the younger brother of MNA Advocate Shafqat Awan, in Sargodha.

He demanded the immediate release of Awan, criticising the unlawful actions of intelligence operatives believed to be behind the abduction. He warned that such actions were tarnishing Pakistan's image and contributing to a lack of foreign investment due to perceptions of a breakdown in the rule of law, potentially leading to a "Banana Republic" stigma.