PESHAWAR
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) staged a major power show near the Peshawar Motorway, demanding party founding chairman and former premier Imran Khan release from jail.
The rally, which drew large crowds of party supporters, workers, and leaders from across the country, particularly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, concluded around 10 PM after a series of brief speeches by senior leadership.
Despite the charged atmosphere, the event ended without any announcement of a future action plan. Key figures addressing the gathering included Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, PTI provincial president Junaid Akbar, former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, and provincial ministers Mina Khan Afridi and Mirza Afridi, alongside leaders from Punjab.
Adressing the participants, Ali Amin Gandapur, reiterated that PTI founder was “fighting for real freedom” and called upon the judiciary to make decisions based on justice. He emphasized that upholding the Constitution was a duty for every citizen and highlighted what he described as serious human rights violations in the country.
However, the rally was marred by significant disorder. Attendees chanted slogans and created disruptions, refusing to listen to the chief minister’s speech.
Despite Gandapur’s attempts to calm the crowd and continue his address, the situation remained chaotic. Protesters also targeted PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan, chanting “Get down, get down” and making gestures against him.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has reiterated the party’s demand for an independent judiciary, stating that the PTI founder is currently behind bars solely for standing up for the rights and freedom of the people.
He claimed that the party’s mandate was stolen in the general elections, but despite that, the founding chairman has urged party workers and supporters not to lose hope. Barrister Gohar further reminded the crowd that the PTI founder launched a movement for justice 29 years ago, and that the struggle for the people’s voice to be heard must continue. “We demand that no more innocent people be silenced or martyred,” he emphasized.
Speaking at the same event, senior PTI leader and former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser declared that party workers were not afraid of FIRs or state pressure.
Qaiser lamented that war had been imposed on KP for four decades, leaving the province’s economy in ruins.
