Barrister Gohar Moves to Block Formation of ‘Imran Khan Release Force’

Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has prevented Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur from going ahead with his controversial plan to establish an “Imran Khan Release Force.”

According to sources in the party who spoke to The News, the intervention was made directly by the PTI chairman and through senior party leaders after the chief minister announced the establishment of a force exclusively dedicated to ensuring the release of PTI founder Imran Khan, who is currently in jail.

According to sources, Barrister Gohar made it clear that the establishment of any force bearing the name of “force,” especially if its members are asked to take an oath for a political cause, would be considered unconstitutional and illegal. This could even fall under the category of militancy, sources said.

It is also reported that the PTI chairman has contacted opposition leaders, including Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, to develop a political consensus in PTI and the opposition alliance against the move.

Political circles are taking the proposal of forming the “Imran Khan Release Force” very seriously. According to insider sources, the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had planned to administer an oath to the proposed force members on February 22. However, due to internal objections, the move was postponed at the last minute. Reports suggest that the oath-taking may now take place after Ramadan.

Senior PTI leaders have privately acknowledged that the plan caused concern within the central leadership, as forming a semi-official “force” could expose the party to legal challenges and accusations of promoting confrontation.

Barrister Gohar reportedly advised that if mobilization for Imran Khan’s release was necessary, it should be done through legally established political committees at provincial, regional, and district levels, as has been done in past political movements, to avoid constitutional complications.

The issue was also prominently discussed in a recent party committee meeting, where participants were instructed not to comment publicly, indicating that the leadership is trying to contain a potentially harmful internal dispute.