PTI protest "not being allowed":
PTI leaders express outrage over
"not being allowed" to see Imran Khan, who is incarcerated. Leading figures, like Omar Ayub, said they waited outside Adiala Jail, but were denied access to speak with Khan by the jail administration.
The leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who had been waiting outside the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi for several hours to visit the party's founder, Imran Khan, were informed on Thursday that they could not meet him.
Following their discussion, a number of PTI leaders—including the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Shibli Faraz, and the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly,
Omar Ayub—demonstrated outside the jail.
There are no divisions within the ranks and files of the party; we are all one. Everybody is in agreement.
Senator Shibli's statement:
Speaking to the reporters outside Adiala Jail, Senator Shibli stated: "We arrived at the jail to meet with our boss. We have the right to do so. We are devoted to our party and have been elected to the assemblies through elections,"
he continued. Shibli's comments about the party's divisions were made after Khan acknowledged the existence of factions within the organization. He denied, meanwhile, that there was a forward bloc in the PTI. Speaking to reporters in a courtroom at the Adiala facility
yesterday, the PTI founder stated that there were no significant divisions within the party.
Omar Ayub's role:
In today's press conference, Shibli emphasized, "Omar Ayub leads the opposition in the National Assembly, and I lead the opposition in the Senate.
However, we had to wait outside the prison. The mosque inside the jail was off limits to us, even from sitting." The leader of the party stated that there are no disagreements among them and that "we will not let anyone spread misinformation and create divisions among us."
He reaffirmed that the party will keep cooperating for the benefit of the nation and will not be dissuaded by the propaganda of its rivals.
Shibli said, "We have pledged allegiance to the party's founder." He claimed that "hired spokespersons" are spreading false information by highlighting the divisions inside the party, calling it a plot to cause unrest within the organization.
The party leaders had been waiting outside the jail since 1 p.m., but Omar Ayub, who was having an argument with the guards outside the jail, claimed that although the meeting with Imran Khan was planned, they were not permitted to see him.
A senior official informed them that they (prison officials) had received orders to do so, as Ayub stated, expressing his displeasure.
"They (the government) believe that they can psychologically pressure us."
He continued by saying that the meeting was arranged in accordance with court directions. Asserting that the PTI was and would continue to support Khan, the leader of the party added, "We will make them answerable through a privilege motion in the National Assembly."
The PTI leader, Shehryar Afridi, was also present outside the jail. "One thing is quite clear: we will not surrender to whatever they may do, as we are the PTI founder's soldiers and can do anything for him," he stated. He said that rivals were attempting to sow discord within the party. Party head Shandana Gulzar stated that the claims about divisions inside the party are untrue, stating, "If I didn't agree with the reports, I wouldn't have attended."
