Salman Akram Raja rejects Gohar as PTI chairperson

Gohar announces nationwide strike on February 8 as sit-in at Adiala continues

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Salman Akram Raja has refused to recognise Barrister Gohar Ali Khan as the chairman of PTI, stating that the party chairperson was “Imran Khan and no one else.”

His remarks came during a media talk at the Gorakhpur checkpoint in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, the day reserved for meetings with the PTI founder at Adiala Jail.

PTI workers began gathering at the checkpoint amid a heavy police deployment. Routes leading to Adiala Jail were blocked, with checkpoints established at five locations.

Responding to a journalist’s question about why Barrister Gohar had been effectively sidelined in practice and who the new chairman would be, Raja said the party chairman was “Imran Khan and no one else”. He added that the treatment meted out to PTI by the Election Commission amounted to “rules of coercion”.

On the other hand, PTI chairperson Brrister Gohar Ali Khan announced plans for February 8, a nationwide shutdown and wheel-jam strike, with protests across the country. He said meetings between the PTI founder, his sisters and lawyers were essential to normalise the situation.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan arrived at the Dahgal checkpoint on Adiala Road and spoke to the media, stating that if the idea of negotiations had been reduced to a meeting of “five elders”, it should not be considered negotiations at all. “Neither can five elders meet, nor is there any need for it,” he said, questioning how talks could proceed if meetings were not being allowed.

Gohar said PTI leaders came every Tuesday but returned without any meeting, adding that for more than a month, no one had been allowed to meet the party founder. “By making meetings controversial, how will matters move forward?” he asked.

Clarifying remarks attributed to him about “begging”, he said his words had been distorted. He explained that despite court orders, standard operating procedures and laws, meetings were still not being allowed. “If meetings are denied even after court orders, then it amounts to begging,” he said, adding that the system had become stagnant for PTI and that since February last year, the leadership had not been able to meet the party founder.

The last person to hold a meeting with Khan was his sister, Dr Uzma Khanum, on December 2. The meeting, held in a special room, lasted 37 minutes. Speaking to reporters outside the facility, she said the interaction had gone well and reassured supporters about his condition, confirming that the former premier was in good health. “Alhamdulillah, his condition is fine, and he is fully recovering,” she stated, offering a rare on-record update amid persistent concerns over his well-being.

Gohar said a heavy price was being demanded to normalise the situation, adding that whilst PTI tried to improve matters, the other side made equal efforts to worsen them. He said the greatest strength of the PTI founder and the party lay in its workers, who had endured severe hardships imposed by the state. Gohar said he had received a call from Imran Ismail and informed him that PTI would not participate in his conference, adding that the party had reservations about it. He said he did not comment publicly on internal party matters. Staff Report