ISLAMABAD: The PTI may consider po­­stponing its Nov 24 sit-in if the government holds out the assurance that it would release Imran Khan following his bail in a Toshakhana case and would not arrest him in some other case or file a new reference ag­­ainst him, sources in the party said.

Ho­­w­­­­­­ever, the government has ruled out the PTI founding chairman immediate release.

While lauding the Islamabad High Court’s decision of granting bail to the ex-PM during a conversation with Dawn, PTI leader Asad Qaiser expressed the hope that Mr Khan would be released soon as he was not facing any other major case and may get bail in other cases against him during the current month.

“Considering the law and order situation, the government should think sensibly because around 100 army personnel have been martyred during the last one month. The government should take steps to bring the temperature down,” he suggested.

Party may consider postponing Nov 24 protest if govt frees ex-PM

When asked if the PTI would postpone the protest in case the government decided to release Mr Khan, the former National Assembly speaker said he did not have authority as such decisions were taken by the party’s engagement committee.

“However, I strongly believe that the iss­ues should be addressed through negotiations and the government should take ste­­ps to create an environment in which ne­­­go­tiations could be started,” he said. “[At present] we are making arrangeme­nts for the march towards Islamabad,” he added.

Separately, PTI Central Information Se­­c­retary Sheikh Waqqas Akram expressed the confidence that Mr Khan would be granted bail in four other cases scheduled for hearing at the ATC on Nov 29.

In a statement, he said that ensuring justice for Mr Khan must be the government’s top priority for preventing anarchy and public unease.

He alleged that since rulers lacked de­­mocratic credentials, they were resorting to intimidation tactics to suppress peaceful protests. However, he added, a well-plan­ned strategy had been devised for the Nov 24 march to oust the imposed rulers.

Information Minister Ataullah Tarar, on the other side, remarked that Mr Khan would not be freed due to not having bail in eight pending cases, Dawn.com reported.

Speaking to Geo News, he said: “He (Imran) can’t be released since he doesn’t have bail in eight cases related to May 9 … and even this Toshakhana 2.0 case has to reach its logical conclusion. Even in the May 9 cases there is a lot of evidence that has surfaced and the prosecution is working on it”.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2024