Islamabad, July 5: Former Pakistan Prime Minister and PTI founder Imran Khan has announced his intention to begin a hunger strike over “mistreatment in jail”.
During a media interaction at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, Khan expressed his lack of trust in Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Qazi Faez Isa, and voiced his concerns about the Chief Justice’s involvement in benches handling PTI-related and his personal cases.
He highlighted objections raised by his legal team regarding the judge’s frequent presence, suggesting a belief within PTI that justice might not be impartially served.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder said he would announce the date for his hunger strike after consulting with his lawyers.
He also claimed that the Superintendent of the Jail is working for an army major and colonel sitting in the jail and cancels his meetings when the government demands it.
Khan emphasized the need for strong relations with Afghanistan to combat the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He stated that any operation against the TTP would be futile without cooperation from Afghanistan, as the militants would simply flee across the border.
“Until you have cooperation from Afghanistan, you cannot succeed in this operation,” Khan asserted.
Imran Khan stated that Pakistan has a 2,500 km border with Afghanistan, and the party has reservations about the ‘Azm-e-Istekham’ being conducted.
Imran argued that the IMF cannot resolve Pakistan’s issues and emphasized the need for fair and transparent elections. Khan expressed concern that Pakistan, which was once a leader until 1990, is now being surpassed by other nations.
“The country is controlled solely by the elite. What is the purpose of a president who increases the president’s house expenditures? Electricity and gas bills have broken the people’s backs,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders on Thursday said that they were not allowed to meet the party’s incarcerated founder Imran Khan in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail after they waited outside the facility for a few hours to see him.
Several PTI leaders, including Leader of the Opposition in Senate Shibli Faraz and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, protested outside the jail after the prison’s meeting time was over.
“We are all united and there are no rifts among the party’s ranks and files. We are all on the same page,” said Senator Shibli while talking to the media outside Adiala Jail.
