Islamabad [Pakistan], November 20 (ANI): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has condemned what it described as a “reign of terror” unleashed by the Punjab government on Imran Khan’s sisters, party leaders, lawyers and workers outside Adiala Jail, calling the incident “utterly intolerable and completely unacceptable”, Dawn reported.
PTI said the opposition alliance would observe a nationwide ‘black day’ on Friday to demand the restoration of the Constitution, rule of law and “real freedom”, as Imran reiterated that the nation now faced a stark choice between “freedom and death”, according to Dawn.
Addressing a press conference alongside Imran’s sisters Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi as well as Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) Chairman Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and party leaders, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja condemned the violence and issued a warning to authorities.
He urged those in power to abandon “reckless arrogance” and act responsibly, saying it was the constitutional right of Imran’s sisters to meet him, a right “no authority could take away”, Dawn reported.
Raja said no society could survive without freedom of speech, press, conscience and an independent judiciary. “We are confronting a power structure intoxicated by its own might, blind to morality and law,” he said. He added, “We will expose this tyranny, for God’s justice may be silent but is relentless — no oppressor will escape it.”
Aleema criticised the alleged assault on her sister and others, claiming a female officer had openly directed male personnel to beat protesters. “Yesterday, our people, including MPAs and MNAs, were subjected to violence,” she said.
She alleged that police threw 71-year-old Noreen to the ground, dragged her and “forcibly pulled women’s dupattas”. She added, “Women officers, armed with batons, acted as Gullu Buttnis, and one even directed the others, shouting: ‘Beat them.'”
“Do you think that by beating us you can silence us? We will return and you cannot intimidate us,” she said, questioning whether the country was now being run by “gangsters”, according to Dawn.
She said the family would continue standing outside the jail for their brother and recalled that on August 4, 2023, Imran was asked to leave the country but responded, “I will not abandon my country.” She said Imran had faced a 500-day-long trial without making personal demands.
PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram condemned the “coercive and arbitrary tactics” used against Imran’s sisters. He said such actions would not weaken the resolve of the party and that PTI would continue striving for “real independence, true democracy, constitutional supremacy and judicial independence”.
Noreen vowed that the nation would never forget the “tragedies of May 9 and November 26”. She said, “Those who have played with the lives of innocent people will never find peace,” and thanked those on social media “exposing the truth despite immense pressure”. She added, “Every act of oppression will be accounted for.”
Recounting her experience, Noreen said, “I still do not know where they took the woman who grabbed me. She pulled me by my hair, threw me to the ground and dragged me across the road.” She said her son Hassan Niazi remained imprisoned but the “oppression outside jail is even more frightening”.
Uzma expressed concern for Imran’s health, saying he had been held in solitary confinement for two weeks. “Yesterday, we simply requested permission to see him to ensure his well-being,” she said.
She added that Imran had told the nation to prepare as the time had come to choose between “freedom or death”. “If they want to beat us, let them. If they want to throw us in jail, let them. We are not afraid.”
MWM chairman Abbas called the treatment of women an “unforgivable national disgrace”, saying the manhandling and snatching of headscarves violated cultural, moral and legal norms. He said, “What crime has the PTI founder committed? His sole ‘offence’ is speaking the truth and standing fearlessly with the people.”
He described Friday’s ‘black day’ as a decisive moment and said notions of lifetime immunity violated the Quran, Sunnah and Constitution, calling it “a false idol born of fear”. He urged critics to emulate Imran’s “integrity, courage, and commitment to justice”.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister Meena Khan Afridi said the 26th Constitutional Amendment had made access to justice difficult and stressed that courts must at least ensure the implementation of their own orders.
He said Imran’s sisters and elected representatives had arrived at Adiala Jail in accordance with court directives, yet were assaulted in freezing temperatures with water and subjected to police violence.
Afridi warned the station house officer involved in the incident that “only your uniform shields you” and questioned how Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz could authorise violence against women. He said KP would pursue action and vowed they would keep returning until they were allowed to meet Imran. (ANI)
Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed of ANI; only the image & headline may have been reworked by News Services Division of World News Network Inc Ltd and Palghar News and Pune News and World News
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