PTI seeks judicial panels on May 9 riots, cipher

ISLAMABAD: The PTI Core Committee Friday reiterated its demand for constitution of high-level judicial commissions to probe the cipher issue and May 9 events so as to bring the truth before the nation.

During the meeting, the committee shed light on the content of a recent interview by the Balochistan National Party chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal on a private TV, as ‘his revelations gave rise to serious doubts about the missing persons in the country’.

They were of the opinion that Mengal’s talk inevitably reinforced the impression that the other missing persons were also in the military custody.

The participants advised that the relevant authorities should take remedial measures to resolve this confusion and inform the nation about the real situation in light of his statement.

They warned that the doors of politics would open for extremists and violent groups if the PTI was weakened through the worst acts of revenge and political victimization.

The committee vowed that no amount of state coercion could deter the PTI or its leadership from the struggle of making Pakistan a free, empowered, welfare and independent country.

The core committee discussed various issues while the PTI legal teams briefed the forum about the progress made so far regarding the cases of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, besides expressing serious concern about continuous denial of the entitled facilities to him in the Attock jail. The committee stressed the need for formation of judicial commission to determine facts and make the nation aware of the cipher as well as the events of May 9.

The meeting expressed serious concern over continued deprivation of basic facilities and privileges to Imran Khan.

They also discussed in detail the hearing of the PTI chairman’s appeal in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on August 22, expressing optimism that his sentence would be suspended and his basic constitutional and legal rights restored.

Chaudhry Moonis Elahi, son of Ch. Pervaiz Elahi, attended the meeting on special invitation, which paid tributes to all the party leaders and workers including the PTI President Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.

The meeting strongly condemned ‘escalation in repressive and coercive actions’ against the PTI supporters and leaders despite formation of caretaker government.

It termed the ongoing brutal and fascist actions against the PTI a well-though-out conspiracy to weaken the unity of the state and undermine the federation. They said that during the last five days, an alarming upsurge has been witnessed in state operations against the people associated with the PTI across the country, especially in South Punjab. The core committee stated that the PTI workers, supporters and leaders were being subjected to coercive and brutal tactics.

They said several leaders including Mohsin Leghari, Nawabzada Mansoor Ali Khan, Niaz Hussain Jukkar, Saifuddin Khosa and Faisal Niazi and their families were subjected to the ‘worst reprisals’. The forum strongly condemned violence against Leghari’s younger son to force his father to quit the party.