Report in Pakistan Today, Dec 16, 2023
— Denounces arrest of Marwat, ill-treatment with Shaoib Shaheen
— Urges SC to put a halt on ongoing spree of forcing PTI leaders to change loyalties
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Core Committee reiterated its demand that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should immediately announce election schedule and speed up its preparations to ensure holding of free, fair and transparent general elections on February 8, 2024 in any circumstances.
PTI core committee, in its meeting held on Friday, also demanded appointment of impartial judicial officers as election supervisors to conduct free, fair and transparent elections.
The forum reiterated that the PTI electoral symbol of “bat” should be issued without any further delay.
During the meeting, they strongly denounced the arrests of PTI leaders and office-bearers ahead of the much-anticipated general election.
The PTI core committee declared the detention of PTI senior central leader Sher Afzal Marwat from outside the Lahore High Court as completely unconstitutional and illegal, demanding his release forthwith.
They also vehemently criticized and condemned the ill-treatment meted out to PTI’s core committee member and senior lawyer Shoaib Shaheen at Quetta Airport, who was prevented from taking part in the PTI convention in Balochistan.
The participants called all the state coercive attempts and use of powers to pull PTI out of the election process and deny it opportunities to carry out peaceful political activities as a serious attack on democracy.
The forum demanded that the unconstitutional, illegitimate and unrepresentative caretaker governments should stop trumpling of democracy by force, urging that the electoral body should ensure equal and fair opportunities for all parties to participate in the elections.
PTI Core committee expressed complete disassociation from any kind of campaign against state institutions and personalities, adding that PTI had a strong, effective decision-making mechanism.
They further stated that the individuals’ decisions and actions neither have any scope in the party nor the party encouraged any such actions and decisions, as all PTI’s decisions were made in the core committee meetings with complete consensus after detailed consultation and deliberations.
The forum emphasized that the decisions of the core committee were implemented after the approval of PTI Chairman-for-life Imran Khan.
They went on to say that any political/advertising campaign launched without the approval of PTI Core Committee and Founding Chairman Imran Khan is neither any link with PTI nor the workers could become part of such campaign.
PTI Core Committee has nothing to do with the content posted by Salman Ahmed and others on their private social media accounts, adding that PTI was not responsible for it.
Similarly, the forum clarified that we have nothing to do with the activities carried out by various Vloggers from abroad, nor should any attempt be made to link them with PTI, adding that instead of campaigning against state institutions, the party leaders believed in peaceful political struggle with the ambit of the constitution and law despite all state oppression and suppression.
They stated that PTI leaders Amjad Khan Niazi, Umar Tanveer Butt and other activists who voluntarily surrendered themselves to the law after the reprehensible series of abductions for statements and forced divorces were brutally tortured in the dark of night to force them to part ways with PTI, which was condemnable and violative of the constitution.
PTI Core Committee urged the top court to take notice of the extra-constitutional and legal activities of the state functionaries and stop the nefarious practice of compelling PTI leaders to change political loyalties.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2023/12/16/pti-core-committee-urges-ecp-to-allocate-bat-symbol/
