Speaking to the media at Dahgal Naka, Barrister Gohar questioned the grounds on which an emergency could be imposed, asking whether such a step was intended to undermine the political mandate of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said PTI leaders had met Pakistan Peoples Party representatives as part of a joint opposition effort and invited them to participate in an All Parties Conference (APC). According to Barrister Gohar, the PPP said it would consult internally before deciding whether to attend.
He said the APC would discuss the country’s overall and political situation, including the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and issues concerning the provinces. He described the arrests of members of parliament as a serious matter and said political parties should agree on a future course of action.
Barrister Gohar stressed that provincial autonomy should not be undermined. He alleged that members of the KP government were being taken into custody, describing it as a serious challenge to the authority of the provincial government and provincial autonomy.
He said that if the autonomy of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was affected, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan could also face similar concerns in the future. He argued that weakening provincial autonomy would ultimately weaken the federation.
The PTI chairman said governments should not be removed through directions or non-constitutional measures, but through the will of the people and constitutional processes. He warned that undemocratic conduct could create space for non-democratic forces.
Regarding the planned long march, Barrister Gohar said PTI had initially announced a call for September 27, but its political committee unanimously decided to postpone it until October 4. He said the party’s demand was limited to meetings and access to medical treatment and that PTI had assured authorities it would neither storm any facility nor launch an attack.
Discussing the political situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Barrister Gohar said the province’s mandate belonged to PTI founder Imran Khan and that Sohail Afridi had also been appointed chief minister by him. He said Afridi would remain chief minister as long as he retained Imran Khan’s support, adding that the PTI founder had not expressed a vote of no confidence in him.
Barrister Gohar rejected reports attributed to Nooreen Niazi concerning Imran Khan’s position on the KP chief minister, saying he and members of the family had denied such reports. He urged all political stakeholders to act responsibly in the prevailing circumstances.
He also said the political committee had decided that any announcement regarding postponement of the long march would be made by the KP chief minister himself.
Barrister Gohar said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had written a letter to Mahmood Khan Achakzai and that a meeting with him should also take place. He said Chief Minister Sohail Afridi had visited those injured in a terrorist incident and had also met the former chief minister.
He said there was nothing unusual about a meeting between Sohail Afridi and Ali Amin Gandapur. Barrister Gohar warned that PTI would strongly resist any imposition of governor’s rule or emergency, maintaining that terrorism could not be used as a justification for imposing governor’s rule in the province.