Tag: PTI

  • Imran Khan declared guilty in Jinnah House attack case; bail rejected

    Imran Khan declared guilty in Jinnah House attack case; bail rejected

    An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore has found former prime minister (PM) Imran Khan guilty in cases connected to violence on May 9, 2023, cancelling his bail in eight cases.

     

    According to reports, ATC Judge Manzar Ali Gill issued a seven-page written ruling detailing that the prosecution had strong evidence against the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), including audio and visual recordings that confirmed his role in inciting violence.

     

    The court also stated that testimonies from witnesses in the “Zaman Park conspiracy”, where Khan is accused of inciting his supporters, were on record.

     

    As per the prosecution, Khan was involved in orchestrating a plan to disrupt state machinery in the event of his arrest.

     

    Incarcerated Khan’s counsel had argued that his client was already in custody at the time of the incident, but the court rejected this claim, saying that the conspiracy had been planned before his detention.

     

    The ATC also pointed out that the prosecution’s case was not a trivial matter of incitement but involved serious charges, including directing attacks on military installations.

     

    The court said that the PTI founder’s instructions were followed by his supporters, which led to the attacks on state buildings and law enforcement.

     

    The court also noted that on May 11, violence against police officers, among other incidents, occurred on the former premier’s directives.

  • VIDEO: Status of PTI protester pushed off container, confirmed

    VIDEO: Status of PTI protester pushed off container, confirmed

    Days after a viral video showed a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protester being pushed off a container in Islamabad, Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has broken silence on his whereabouts and current condition.


    A viral video from PTI’s violent protests in Islamabad showed a man, namely Tahir Abbas Tarar, “offering prayer” atop three containers set up to block access to D-Chowk. The video also showed the man being pushed off by security personnel, falling down as the crowd looked on.


    With the video drawing strong reactions from party leaders and the general public alike, netizens also expressed serious concerns over the incident and demanded an official update on Tahir’s current condition.


    After widespread criticism aimed at the government and law enforcement, and claims that the victim “fell to his death”, Information Minister Tarar has put an end to speculations.


    “Propaganda claimed that a person was offering prayers when he was killed by pushing him [off the containers]. He is a resident of Mandi Bahauddin, and is alive,” the minister said, adding that Tahir had received injuries on his arms and legs.


    The info minister also said that the man from the video was “not offering prayers” and was actually “recording a TikTok video”. He, however, did not disclose any further details.


    Meanwhile, a man claiming to be Tahir’s brother, Naveed, has said that his family has been “abducted”.


    Confirming that Tahir had survived the fall with a fractured arm and leg, Naveed alleged that his family had now “gone missing”.

     

     


    The same was also claimed by the PTI in a post on its official social media handles.


    “His [Tahir’s] family members have now been abducted from their home in the village. There are concerns of coercion to extract statements and suppress the truth with expectations that the public will blindly accept the authorities’ narrative. This incident is just an example of the scale of the ongoing state repression,” PTI said, adding that it was an example of the “brutality” that “unfolded on Nov 26” at D-Chowk.


    Tahir is among the dozens of protesters who sustained injuries in violent clashes between the PTI and law enforcement during the former’s three-day protests in and around the federal capital.
    Confusion prevails on the total number of casualties at the protest, amid conflicting claims from the camps of both the government and PTI.

  • PTI decides to head to Islamabad, again

    PTI decides to head to Islamabad, again

    Days after being forced to retreat to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) amid dozens of casualties at the protest march, the Parliamentary Committee of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to head back to Islamabad with “full preparations”.

     

    As per the details, KP Chief Minister (CM) Ali Amin Gandapur chaired a meeting of the party’s parliamentary committee at the CM House with Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs) and Members of National Assembly (MNAs) in attendance.

     

    During the meeting, the party’s lawmakers expressed confidence in CM Gandapur and discussed law enforcement’s violence against PTI workers in the federal capital. They also put forth their suggestions for the future.

     

    The parliamentary committee expressed displeasure over the party’s central leadership and questioned why was it absent when “law enforcement opened fire at D-Chowk”.

     

    Despite the government repeatedly denying claims regarding the use of lethal rounds, the PTI leadership maintains that dozens of its supporters were killed after security forces opened fire during Tuesday night’s grand clearance operation.

     

    The KP CM had on Friday night also issued threats to the federal government, saying, “We are coming back to Islamabad, and a decision has been made regarding this.”

     

    “We will fight for our rights, and if we do not receive justice, we will respond in the same manner… our children have been martyred,” he said on the floor of the KP Assembly.

     

    Gandapur also responded to the claims regarding the imposition of Governor’s Rule in the province. “We are not interested in power and positions. We cannot be intimidated by such threats. Try us,” he added.

     

    Earlier, Adviser to PM on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah had stated that the federal cabinet, in its meeting, discussed the option of imposing Governor’s Rule in KP.

     

    He said the matter came up for consideration as KP’s resources were being used to “stage violent protests” in Islamabad.

     

    While a majority of federal cabinet members supported the proposal, consensus could not be reached with allies of the ruling PML-N.

     

    Awami National Party (ANP) chief Aimal Wali Khan, while addressing a press conference along with KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Friday, said that Governor’s Rule in KP was not the solution to the ongoing crises.

     

    Governor Kundi himself also opposed Governor’s Rule, but added that he had only heard about it on the news.

     

    Kundi also reacted to a recently-tabled resolution in the Punjab Assembly, which sought a ban on the PTI. “The events of May 9 and November 24 provide enough justification for a ban. PTI has been a disruptive force in the province for years.”

  • PTI shares, then deletes graphic video from 2019 claiming police brutality

    PTI shares, then deletes graphic video from 2019 claiming police brutality

    A graphic video is being pushed on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) affiliated social media accounts, depicting severely injured people in a hospital, alleging that the victims in the footage are injured PTI protestors in Islamabad.

     

     

    Fact Check: The graphic video is from 2019 Nankana Sahib’s DHQ Hospital when two rival groups opened fire on each other.

     

     

     

    PTI’s official page on Instagram shared the video; however, it was later deleted.  Some PTI supporters are still sharing the video, claiming it to be the victims of an alleged massacre after the security forces launched a crackdown on PTI protestors in Islamabad.

     

    Sabir Shakir posted the video on November 29 with the caption: “This is the floor of a hospital in Islamabad.” The post has garnered more than 116K views till now with more than seven thousand reposts and eleven thousand likes.

     

    Likewise, another social media user re-tweeted the video, writing, “What story are the injured protesters brought to Islamabad hospital after the operation on November 26 and their blood on the floor?”


    Another user posted, “This is not Palestine or Gaza, but the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, where innocent people are being massacred. Yazid and descendants of Yazid are still present in the world.” 

     

    Another X user wrote, “Every one can see Nawaz, Maryam  @MaryamNSharif‘s. signatures in mass murder of innocent people 3 days hungry thirsty & sleep deprived along with General Asim and Shahbaz face. Why we Pakistan tolerate it ?”

     

    While multiple PTI supporting accounts ran trending hashtags like #گولی_کیوں_چلائی and #IslamabadMassacre.

     

    After PTI began its “final call” towards Islamabad, tensions between law enforcement and protesters ran high, as the federal government deployed the military in Islamabad by invoking Article 245 of the Constitution.

     

    A notification issued by the Interior Ministry said that the army had been authorised to impose a curfew in any locality deemed necessary to maintain law and order.

     

    The opposition leader in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, on Friday demanded a judicial probe into the recent use of force against protesters in the federal capital.

     

    “The chief justice of Pakistan should constitute a fact-finding committee to bring facts to the fore,” said Omar Ayub who is the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Member National Assembly from the Haripur district while talking to reporters in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) where he had turned up to secure a transit bail.

     

    The PTI leader said the party leadership shared the grief of the families of those who died in Islamabad. He also said the financial compensation had already been announced by the KP government for the heirs of the deceased and the injured.

  • Government decides to file cases against Ali Amin Gandapur, Bushra Bibi

    Government decides to file cases against Ali Amin Gandapur, Bushra Bibi

    Prime Minister (PM) Shahbaz Sharif’s government has decided to tighten the noise around founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan’s party leaders by filing cases against them.

     

    Shahbaz Sharif chaired a high-level meeting on Friday in which it was decided that cases would be lodged against Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur, and founder PTI Imran Khan’s spouse, Bushra Bibi; both were leading the recent protest march towards the federal capital in which multiple people were killed, including four law-enforcing officers. 

     

    “This is not a political party [PTI] but a fitna [mischief] and a group of terrorists,” Shahbaz Sharif said.

     

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir, Punjab’s Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz, federal ministers and other security officials attended the meeting.

     

    After a “final call” given by incarcerated Imran Khan, CM KP Ali Amin Gandapur and former First Lady led a convoy from Peshawar to Islamabad, which started on November 24 and ended on November 26 night after security forces cracked down on the demonstrators.

     

    On Tuesday (November 26) night, grand operations were initiated to disperse the opposition’s biggest party protestors, in which multiple casualties were reported and hundreds of protestors were wounded.

     

    Attendees of the meeting told Dawn News that it was also decided in a top-level meeting to register cases against the PTI leaders and workers who were allegedly involved in the killing of security officials during the recent protest march.

     

    A press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) noted, “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif established a task force under the chairmanship of Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi to identify the people involved in spreading chaos and violence in Islamabad earlier this week and take strict action against them.”


    Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar and officials of security departments will also be members of the task force.

     

    Furthermore, it was also decided to modernise the federal capital Safe City project along with strengthening the federal prosecution service. It has been observed that the quality of the project is so poor that its cameras cannot recognise people, particularly at night and when travelling in vehicles.


    Previously, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Muhammad Fayyaz submitted a resolution in the Punjab Assembly secretariat seeking a ban on arch-rivals PTI.

     

    The resolution demands stringent action against former PM Imran Khan’s PTI, labelling the party a “disruptive group” operating under the guise of a political party, and calls for those responsible for the November 24 protests to be brought to justice.

  • PML-N moves resolution in Punjab Assembly to ban PTI

    PML-N moves resolution in Punjab Assembly to ban PTI

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Muhammad Fayyaz has submitted a resolution in the Punjab Assembly secretariat, seeking a ban on arch-rivals Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

     

    The resolution demands stringent action against former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s PTI, labelling the party a “disruptive group” operating under the guise of a political party, and calls for those responsible for the November 24 protests to be brought to justice.

     

    A similar resolution was introduced in the Balochistan Assembly on Thursday, accusing PTI of committing acts of violence and taking on the form of a “political anarchist group”.

     

    The resolution was moved by Balochistan Minister for Communications and Works Mir Saleem Ahmad Khosa, provincial ministers Mir Sadiq Umrani, Mir Asim Kurd Gelo, Raheela Hamid Khan Durrani, Bakht Mohammad Kakar and parliamentary secretaries against the PTI’s actions during the recent protests.

     

    The resolution read, “This kind of anarchist agenda of the PTI has badly affected every system and school of thought in the country, including the judiciary, the media and the country’s economy.”

     

    The opposition in the Balochistan Assembly staged a walkout in protest, decrying the mistreatment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party.

     

    The resolution accused the PTI of orchestrating violent demonstrations, including assault on public and military installations during the May 9 protests last year. It also criticised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for allegedly using state resources to challenge federal authority, describing such actions as part of a “non-political agenda.”

     

    PTI’s recent “do-or-die” protest in the federal capital ended abruptly after a government crackdown that resulted in the apprehendation of 1,151 protesters, including 64 Afghan nationals. Authorities claimed to have confiscated weapons, ball bearings, and spiked clubs from the detained Afghans. 

     

    Meanwhile, PTI leader Salman Akram Raja alleged that 20 protesters were killed during the demonstrations—a claim that the authorities have denied.

    Earlier, Senator Faisal Vawda, while appearing on the Geo News programme Capital Talk on Wednesday, had claimed that former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s party will be banned.


    Faisal Vawda stated, “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister [Ali Amin Gandapur] will not be arrested, but Bushra Bibi [Imran Khan’s wife] will.”

    Faisal Vawda also pointed out the absence of PTI’s big names during the recent protest: “Where was Omar Ayub Khan, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly?”


    He alleged that the former First Lady has a “major role” in bringing founder Imran Khan’s party to a “dead end.”
     

    It should be mentioned here that PTI marched towards Islamabad on the “final call” of party founder Imran Khan.


    PTI demanded the reversal of the recently passed 26th Constitution Amendment, the “stolen mandate,” and the release of all party political prisoners, including Imran Khan.

  • Imran Khan to get bail within three months, predicts Najam Sethi

    Imran Khan to get bail within three months, predicts Najam Sethi

    Political commentator Najam Sethi has predicted that the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, will get bail within three months.

     

    Appearing on Samaa News Najam Sethi stated on Thursday that former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan will be in his home in Zaman Park or Bani Gala within the next three months.

     

    In response to the programme host Ayesha Naz’s question whether Khan would remain under house arrest or not, Najam Sethi stated that “there is no issue of Imran Khan being in house arrest, he will be free.”

     

    It may be noted here that former PM Imran Khan was arrested on August 5 last year from his residence in Zaman Park, Lahore, shortly after his conviction in the Toshakhana case and has been in jail since then on multiple charges. 

     

    Imran Khan’s party had orchestrated protests in Pakistan’s heart, Islamabad, which resulted in multiple casualties.

     
    Referring to the PTI’s recent protest march towards the federal capital, Sethi said, “It was his [Imran Khan] last public card; he [Imran Khan] won’t t be able to use the public card for the next three to four months, and [Khan] knows that.”

     

    Responding to the PTI’s next probable march to the federal capital, Najam Sethi maintained that there would be “no long march for at least one year towards Islamabad.”

     

    Najam Sethi observed that by the time the grand operation started on Tuesday night, Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur advised former First Lady Bushra Bibi to leave the federal capital.

     

    “Bushra Bibi was scared; her guards disappeared, and then she decided to leave the federal capital,” Sethi added.

     

    Furthermore, Najam Sathi reiterated that the federal government had helped CM KP Ali Amin Gandapur and Imran Khan’s spouse to escape from the scene.

     

    Earlier, PTI sources told Geo News that prior to the Tuesday night grand operation on PTI demonstrators, the government facilitated Bushra Bibi and Ali Amin Gandapur to escape from Islamabad.

     

    On Tuesday night (November 26), security forces launched a grand operation at D Chowk to disperse the protestors, leading to multiple casualties.

     

    Reportedly, prior to the operation, markets in all nearby areas were closed, and streetlights were also turned off; the operation was completed within two and a half hours, leading to the arrest of more than 500 protesters from D-Chowk and its nearby areas.

  • PTI leaders question Bushra Bibi’s role in party decision-making

    PTI leaders question Bushra Bibi’s role in party decision-making

    The core committee and political committee of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday inquired about the role of party founder Imran Khan’s spouse, Bushra Bibi, in the party’s decision-making process. 

     

    Former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s party emphasised that decision-making authority should be in the hands of the party’s political leadership and not non-political persons, a party source told The News.

     

    PTI leadership raised the question of who led the protest towards D Chowk Islamabad when Imran himself had ordered that demonstrations be limited to the Sangjani area. Some members questioned why Imran Khan’s directions were ignored, asking who acted against the PTI founder chairman’s order. 

     

    However, party sources claimed that in both meetings, no one defended Bushra Bibi.

     

    Investigative journalist Ansar Abbasi revealed that CM KP Ali Amin Gandapur and Opposition Leader of the National Assembly Omer Ayub Khan conveyed Imran Khan’s message to Bushra Bibi to limit the protest march at Sangjani area; however, she remained adamant about marching towards D Chowk.

     

    Ansar Abbasi had claimed that following the meeting of Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and KP’s Advisor of Information and Broadcasting Barrister Saif with party founder Imran Khan at Adiala Jail Rawalpindi, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi provided them with a helicopter to fly to Bushra Bibi and convince her to stop the march.

     

    However, two PTI leaders were a bit late as the march had already moved to the federal capital.

     

    On November 21, incarcerated Imran Khan had put demands before the federal government, including his release till Friday (November 22), to postpone his “final call” which the government did not agreed.

     

    PTI political and core committee on Wednesday condemned the alleged killing of their party demonstrators by the government. They demanded initiating the probe from within the party to identify those responsible for the decision to march to D Chowk, which led to the workers’ deaths.

     

    In the party meeting, it was also maintained that if the party founder’s direction had been strictly followed, there would have been a sit-in at Sangjani, and it would not only have avoided the killing of party workers but would have also led to the initiation of a formal dialogue between the Prime Minister (PM) Shahbaz Sharif’s led government and PTI.

     

    It should be mentioned here that following the Tuesday night grand operation against the protestors in the federal capital, multiple casualties were reported.

     

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leadership claimed that more than twenty party workers had died. However, the government denied such a number of casualties.

  • PTI to be banned? Faisal Vawda certainly thinks so

    PTI to be banned? Faisal Vawda certainly thinks so

    Following Tuesday’s violent clashes between followers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and law-enforcing forces in the federal capital, which led to multiple casualties, Senator Faisal Vawda, while appearing on the Geo News programme Capital Talk on Wednesday, claimed that former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s party will be banned.

     

    The Senator’s remarks came about as the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) decided to table a resolution in the Balochistan Assembly seeking a ban on PTI after clashes with security officials during the three-day-long party protest.

     

    PML-N parliamentary leader Saleem Khosa, who is set to tabled the resolution to suspend PTI, commented, “Once again, it [the former ruling party] is carrying out violent actions.”

     

    Faisal Vawda stated, “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister [Ali Amin Gandapur] will not be arrested, but Bushra Bibi [Imran Khan’s wife] will.”

     

    Faisal Vawda also pointed out the absence of PTI’s big names during the recent protest: “Where was Omar Ayub Khan, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly?”

     

    He alleged that the former First Lady has a “major role” in bringing founder Imran Khan’s party to a “dead end.”

     

    Vawda took a jab at Imran Khan’s spouse, saying, “Woman [Bushra Bibi] said she would march on D-Chowk but later ran away.”

     

    He criticised Bushra Bibi for insisting on marching towards D Chowk despite the party’s big wigs having agreed to change their protest venue to the Sangjani area, in the outskirts of the federal capital.

     

    It should be mentioned here that PTI marched towards Islamabad on the “final call” of party founder Imran Khan.

     

    PTI demanded the reversal of the recently passed 26th Constitution Amendment, the “stolen mandate,” and the release of all party political prisoners, including Imran Khan.

     

    On September 8, PTI staged a rally in Islamabad. However, the November 24 protest was different as the party founder’s wife, Bushra Bibi, was leading the convoy along with CM KP Ali Amin Gandapur.


     
    Following the crackdown on demonstrators on Tuesday night, former First Lady along with Ali Amin Gandapur had fled from Islamabad to Masehra.

     

    However, CM Gandapur, while addressing party workers and media persons in Mansehra on Wednesday, declared, “This is not just a political demonstration but a fight for our fundamental rights.” 

     

    He also claimed that hundreds of his party workers were killed during the grand clearance operation in Islamabad, which the government denied.

     

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ataullah Tarar had, on Tuesday night, said that “no bodies fell in the operation.” Government officials and ministers have also alleged that PTI protesters caused severe damage to public and government property in the federal capital.

  • PTI’s protest ongoing, will continue till Imran Khan calls it off: Gandapur

    PTI’s protest ongoing, will continue till Imran Khan calls it off: Gandapur

    Hour after fleeing from Islamabad to Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Ali Amin Gandapur has broken silence over the abrupt end to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) “decisive” protest in the federal capital, saying that the “sit-in will continue” until party founder Imran Khan calls it off.

     

    “This is not just a political demonstration but a fight for our fundamental rights,” CM Gandapur said while addressing party workers and media persons in Mansehra on Wednesday.

     

    PTI had on late Tuesday night called off its Islamabad sit-in “for the time being” after violent clashes with law enforcement.

     

    “In view of the government’s brutality and plan to turn the capital into a slaughterhouse for unarmed citizens, [we] announce the suspension of the peaceful protest for the time being,” PTI’s official X (formerly Twitter) account said in a press release on Wednesday morning.

     

    In his maiden public appearance following the developments, CM Gandapur accused the government of oppressive actions against PTI supporters and highlighted the “illegal detentions”, “uncalled for violence against peaceful demonstrators” and restrictions on freedom of assembly.

     

    He also claimed that hundreds of his party workers were killed during the grand clearance operation in Islamabad.

     

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ataullah Tarar had, however, on Tuesday night said that “no bodies fell in the operation”. Government officials and ministers have also alleged that PTI protesters caused severe damage to public and government property in Islamabad.

     

    Addressing media persons, CM Gandapur also complained that whenever his party announced a rally or procession, they were denied permission. “Even the courts are not providing justice,” he said.

     

    “When we approach courts for justice, we don’t get justice, nor do we get the floor of the parliament that is against the sanctity of the House. Our only option to deliver our message is to protest if we are not allowed to hold public gatherings,” Gandapur added.

     

    He claimed that the government was involved in direct attacks on him and Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi during the protest, and called out the federal government by saying that they had “broken Pakistan once before” and were “doing so again”.

     

    “Our province knows how to secure its mandate, it knows how to claim its rights, and it knows how to protect its people.”

     

    The government had on Tuesday night launched a grand operation starting from D-Chowk in Islamabad to end PTI’s protest campaign. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Information Minister Tarar at around 2 am addressed media persons to announce that the government had successfully quashed the demonstrations that continued for three days.