Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub has called on the judiciary to assert its independence, saying that "enough is enough" and urging anti-terrorism court judges to take a stand.
Speaking at a news conference at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad on Monday, Omar Ayub was joined by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Senator Shibli Faraz and lawyer Salman Akram Raja.
The opposition leader slammed the judiciary's handling of cases involving PTI leaders, particularly the Toshakhana II case, which he claimed was delayed under dubious circumstances.
"The judiciary must stand on its own feet and declare that this injustice has gone on for too long," he stressed.
Omar condemned the continued isolation of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, saying that the detained PTI leaders – including Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Yasmin Rashid, Hassan Niazi and Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed – were all political prisoners and should be released immediately.
"There is no rule of law in Pakistan," he said, adding that economic instability and investor reluctance stemmed from the country's lack of judicial independence.
Challenging government ministers, Omar dared them to a debate on inflation, pointing out that electricity, flour, gas and sugar prices had soared while people's purchasing power had collapsed.
He reiterated that Imran Khan was the country's rightful leader and should be given another chance as prime minister.
Meanwhile, Salman Akram Raja accused the state of silencing those who could unify the country, pointing to widespread election fraud on February 8. He cited a report by PATTAN and a documentary that exposed election irregularities.
He alleged that ballot boxes were tampered with at polling stations, Form 45 results were manipulated, and opposition agents were forcibly removed.
Addressing the media, Barrister Gohar said that PTI wanted to highlight three key issues, stressing that the party had won a majority in the 2024 general elections, securing 180 National Assembly seats and a lead in Punjab.
However, he alleged, the elections were rigged, and despite repeated demands, no judicial commission was formed, nor were any of PTI's 74 petitions heard in court.
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