Imran Khan, the imprisoned Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), wrote a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Esa, requesting to protect the PTI’s fundamental rights.
Khan claims that, PTI is having difficulties to carry out political activities for upcoming election due to imprisonment of numerous PTI leaders in May 9 violence’s.
In a letter to interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, President Arif Alvi also expressed similar concerns, underlining the erosion of fundamental rights and the necessity for a level playing field for all political parties.
Imran Khan’s seven-page letter, asks the CJP to protect the PTI’s fundamental rights, which include the freedom to liberty, association, assembly, and expression.
The letter claims that when the state uses arrests and prosecutions as means of suppression, the denial of these fundamental rights becomes unfair.
It is clear to control the political scene by using the power to prosecute and arrest PTI affiliates.
Despite bail granted, he expresses alarm about the filing of multiple criminal cases against party members, for the same incident.
The letter indicates a troubling pattern in which unnamed FIRs and police reports remain in reserve in order to re-arrest individuals linked with the PTI after they got bail. Imran Khan condemns this as a new wave of state oppression, underlining the importance of judicial notice in recognizing the unusual circumstances.
Khan claims that, fair and free general elections are impossible until mass arrests of PTI leaders and activists stops. For a level playing field, he requests judicial intervention to prevent forced media producing “tutored content and opinions.”
The letter respectfully requests that the apex court issue orders prohibiting successive arrests of individuals granted bail, form a committee to investigate disappearances, and direct relevant agencies to safeguard the PTI’s unrestricted political operations and equal media coverage.
