By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party is grappling with a deepening crisis as several of its prominent leaders, recently sentenced by an Anti-Terrorism Court for their roles in the violent May 9, 2023, riots, have gone into hiding.
Determined to evade arrest until they secure bail or stay orders, these leaders, most of whom are holed up in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, are seeking a legal counteroffensive while boycotting parliamentary sessions.
Omar Ayub Khan, the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, is among those steering clear of public appearances, citing arrest warrants issued against him. “I have asked my lawyer Babar Awan to complete documentation and file a case. Other leaders will also do the same,” Khan said. He emphasized that applications for bails and stay orders would be filed in various courts, but made it clear. “We would not come in public before getting bails.”
Joining him in this strategy are key PTI figures, including Shibli Faraz, Hamid Raza, and Zartaj Gul Wazir, all of whom have opted to stay underground until the judiciary offers relief.
The legal troubles stem from the chaotic events of May 9, 2023, when PTI supporters erupted in protest across Pakistan following the arrest of the party’s founder, former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The demonstrations turned violent, with crowds vandalizing military installations and state-owned buildings in an unprecedented wave of unrest.
The government’s response was swift and unyielding: thousands of protesters, including numerous PTI leaders, were arrested in a sweeping crackdown. The Anti-Terrorism Court’s recent rulings have delivered harsh sentences to 108 of the 185 accused PTI workers, with Khan and several others facing 10-year prison terms for their alleged involvement.
Junaid Afzal Sahi, a PTI member of the provincial assembly, was sentenced to three years, while others, including National Assembly member Zain Qureshi, provincial lawmaker Khayal Ahmad Kastro, and former party leader Fawad Chaudhry, were acquitted.
Khan, wary of immediate arrest, last week declined an invitation to meet Chief Justice of Pakistan on Supreme Court premises or elsewhere in Islamabad, citing the risk of detention. “All legal options would be used to get relief,” he said, signalling a resolute effort to challenge the convictions through the courts rather than face incarceration. Already, there are glimmers of hope for PTI’s embattled leaders.
Abdul Lateef, a National Assembly member from Chitral, recently petitioned the Peshawar High Court after the Election Commission of Pakistan moved to de-notify him and declare his seat vacant following his sentencing.
Last week, a bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Dr. Khurshid Iqbal issued a stay order, halting the commission’s actions and summoning responses from the Election Commission and the National Assembly speaker. The court has set August 20 as the date for the next hearing, offering a potential lifeline for Khan and his colleagues, who are banking on similar judicial interventions.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
