Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf marks 29th foundation day, demands Imran Khan's release

The party pledged to continue the struggle for the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law.

The PTI leaders unanimously passed a resolution at a function held at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House to mark the party's foundation day. PTI leaders, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, were present at the function.

The resolution condemned the "illegal" imprisonment of Imran Khan and called for the release of all political prisoners, including PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

The resolution passed by PTI stated, "The nation responded to the call of its leader Imran Khan and won the PTI with a huge majority in the February 8, 2024 elections. Unfortunately, the party's mandate was stolen. This is a robbery on the rights of the people and an attack on the Constitution. We strongly demand the return of our legitimate mandate."

In the resolution, Imran Khan-founded party condemned the ongoing oppression and fascism in Pakistan. It demanded the restoration of personal, political, and journalistic freedoms and basic human rights that have been suspended in Pakistan, The News International reported.

The resolution stated, "The judiciary has been greatly weakened by the 26th Constitutional Amendment. We also strongly demand the restoration of the Constitution in its original form and the restoration of the dignity of the Supreme Court," The News International reported.

In his address at the function, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan said, "The 29th foundation day of the PTI is dedicated to the martyrs of May 9 and November 26 and to the political prisoners imprisoned for the struggle for true freedom and democracy in the country."

He said the PTI's struggle was meant for the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law. He said, "We will continue this struggle until the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law are truly established in the country." Meanwhile, PTI leader Asad Qaiser said, "We want a judicial system in which the entire nation can trust."

Earlier on April 17, several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers and family members of Imran Khan were briefly detained near Adiala Jail in Pakistan's Rawalpindi on Thursday, The Express Tribune reported.

Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub, Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Ahmed Khan Bhachar, SIC chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza, and Imran Khan's three sisters -- Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Khan -- along with their cousin Qasim Khan, were among those arrested on Thursday. Later, police released all of them.

PTI shared the video on the social media platform X when the leaders were being taken into the police van. According to eyewitnesses and statements made by Aleema Khan and Omar Ayub, police took them on a mysterious drive across the city in a prison van, with stops at places like a petrol pump and a restaurant before being finally released. (ANI)