ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s core committee on Friday expressed displeasure over what it called no progress in a case related to an assassination attempt on the party’s chairman Imran Khan even after a lapse of one year.

According to the PTI’s media wing, the committee termed failure in any headway in investigation into the case and exposing assassins a bid to protect the culprits behind the conspiracy.

“Nov 3, 2022 was one of the black chapters of the history on which the state will remain ashamed of forever,” the PTI release said.

“On that day most famous political leader and former prime minister was targeted in front of thousands of people in the broad day light,” a press release said.

The attempt on the life of Imran Khan was a conspiracy to bring chaos and mayhem in the country, it added.

The core committee said the entire state machinery had prevented inclusion of the names of the then prime minister, interior minister and an officer of a sensitive institution in the FIR of the assassination attempt.

An investigation team, formed after an unsuccessful attempt on Imran Khan’s life, encountered resistance at every level.

The core committee also discussed PTI’s petition in the Supreme Court, calling for elections to be held within 90 days after the previous government’s term ended.

The committee emphasised the significance of announcing the date for the next general elections and the role of the Supreme Court, considering it quite important.

They recognised that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was facing substantial challenges in ensuring transparent, fair, and free elections.

In a separate press conference, a member of PTI’s legal team, Shoaib Shaheen, applauded the announcement of the election date (Feb 8) and expressed concerns about the state of democracy in the country, highlighting that institutions were obstructing its functioning.

He pointed out that there was no level playing field for all political parties, with pressure on PTI members to leave, while efforts appeared to support the success of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

During the event, PTI leader Barrister Zafar mentioned that the party had initiated its election campaign on Friday but encountered reluctance from the ECP in assigning the “bat” symbol to PTI.

He stressed that the elections could become contentious if the series of arrests of PTI leaders and workers was not halted.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2023