Imran denied basic rights, claims PTI

Party leaders urge govt to allow K-P CM meet PTI founder

RAWALPINDI:

Newly elected Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi is awaiting an order of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to allow him to meet Imran Khan so that he may pick his cabinet after consultation with the party founder, who is incarcerated at Adiala Jail.

Imran Khan in the meanwhile has given instructions to a senior party leader, Salman Akram Raja, with regard to the composition of the new K-P cabinet. Raja will convey these instructions to the party soon, said one of Imran's counsels, Faisal Malik, after a meeting the PTI founder on Tuesday.

Conveying Imran's message to the media outside Adiala Jail, Malik said Imran first spoke of his mandate, saying his mandate lies in the K-P and making policy there is his constitutional right.

He said the K-P chief minister is being prevented from meeting Imran, which the PTI views as depriving the party founder of his constitutional and democratic right.

He said PML-N President Nawaz Sharif was allowed visits and to sign ordinances while he was in jail and his family also met him regularly but Imran Khan is being denied basic jail facilities. He said forming the K-P cabinet is Imran's mandate; he has the right to appoint ministers of his choice.

Also speaking to the media close to Adiala Jail, PTI Chairman Gohar Khan said it is essential for CM Afridi to meet the PTI founder. He hoped the IHC permission would make the meeting possible. "If the meeting does not take place, the province cannot be left without a cabinet."

He said the PTI is against all forms of terrorism and it is necessary to implement the National Action Plan (NAP) which includes strengthening provinces' capacity to fight terrorism. "Terrorism should not be politicized," he said.

Talking with reference to repatriation of Afghan refugees, he said there should be a time frame for sending Afghan refugees back. "They should not be returned in a humiliating way—we want them to go back in a manner that does not create a security threat for us," he said.

He said the party on Imran's instruction submitted Mehmood Khan Achakzai's name in the National Assembly as the opposition leader. 74 MNAs have signed the petition for Achakzai, he said.

He said the founder has allowed the party to contest the NA-18 by-election. "Nomination papers for the NA-18 Haripur seat have been filed by Omar Ayub's wife," he said.

Imran Khan's sister Aleema Khan also spoke to the media.

Aleema said: "You are all asking whether a cabinet will not be formed in Peshawar. Is the federal government not concerned that you are not allowing a chief minister to meet the PTI founder?"