K-P Assembly slams Imran, Bushra verdicts

PTI lawmakers in all four provincial assemblies, Senate to protest sentences

PESHAWAR:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers on Friday announced they would file an appeal against the sentences handed down to Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi along with staging a joint protest rally of all elected representatives of the party in the four provincial assemblies and the Senate.

Lawmakers of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly denounced the prison sentence awarded to the PTI founder in the £190 million corruption case.

Before the assembly session on Friday, PTI Members of the Provincial Assemby (MPAs) staged a protest inside the assembly hall. They displayed banners on their seats with slogans against the verdict. When the assembly session began, the PTI members entered the hall holding pictures of Imran Khan and banners.

Later, during the Provincial Assembly session chaired by Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, treasury member Shafiq Jan requested that the routine agenda be suspended to discuss the verdict against Imran Khan. After the speaker's approval, Shafiq Jan expressed his views, stating that Pakistan's judicial history was marred by controversial decisions.

Law Minister Aftab Alam criticized the 14-year sentence handed down to Imran Khan and the seven-year term given to his wife. He said that the country had a flawed justice system, citing the lack of action against those who had tried to assassinate Imran Khan as well as the country's low international judicial ranking (139th).

He blamed the military and judiciary for the country's woes, stating that until the two institutions were held accountable, the country would not progress. He urged the public to rise up against the 'mafia' that had gripped the country, adding that their struggle would continue without any compromise or deal.

Alam criticized the judiciary's history of questionable decisions, which he said he believed had derailed democracy, emphasized that the country's accountability system only targeted politicians, and claimed that Pakistan had been controlled by external forces since its inception.

MPA Ahmed Karim Kundi, the parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), while expressing his thoughts on the verdict, stated that the accountability court's decision was expected, given the country's history of bitter judicial decisions. He questioned whether this was the same accountability court that PTI, as the opposition, had previously suggested shutting down.

Kundi recalled how Imran Khan had advocated for military courts, believing that regular courts could not hold thieves accountable. However, he maintained that the killing of justice is a form of political revenge, which must be stopped by the same political parties. Kundi urged the need for political parties to sit together, strengthen parliament, and resolve issues through dialogue rather than violence.

Maulana Lutfur Rehman, the parliamentary leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), added that Imran Khan had the right to appeal the verdict.

He said that his party did not support any judicial decision that reeked of revenge. He also stressed the importance of moving forward thoughtfully, listening to each other, and avoiding criticism for its own sake. Rehman also criticized the chief minister for using derogatory language against political figures, which he deemed unbecoming of a parliamentary system.