PTI to resist Governor’s Rule or Emergency in KP, says Barrister Gohar

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan has said that the party will strongly resist any attempt to impose Governor’s Rule or an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), arguing that Governor’s Rule cannot be imposed on the pretext of terrorism.

Speaking to the media at the Dahgal checkpoint, he said the call for a march on October 4 currently remains in place.

He said that, as part of efforts to form a joint opposition, he met leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) today and invited them to participate in the All Parties Conference (APC).

According to Barrister Gohar, the PPP said it would inform the PTI about its participation in the APC after consulting its leadership. He said the conference would discuss the overall political and national situation, as well as the security situation in KP and issues concerning the provinces.

He said the arrest and detention of members of parliament was a serious matter and that all political parties should agree on a future course of action.

“The concerns of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf should be addressed,” he said, adding that provincial autonomy must not be undermined.

Gohar claimed that the KP government had reached a point where even its ministers were being taken into custody. He described this as a major blow to the writ of the provincial government and provincial autonomy.

“You took the votes in Punjab and took away all the powers in KP,” he said. “If KP’s provincial autonomy is affected today, the same could happen to Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan tomorrow.”

He said attacks on provincial autonomy would weaken the federation. “Targeting one side and pushing it against the wall can harm the federation,” he said.

Gohar reiterated that governments should not be removed through “signals” but should end when the people no longer want them. He urged all sides to refrain from unconstitutional measures.

He said that although the PTI government was in KP, the federal government was also taking certain actions there. He claimed that PTI ministers had come under fire and said the developments indicated that “someone else is behind the curtain.”

He warned that undemocratic conduct would create space for undemocratic forces and strengthen them.