Gohar hits back at Salman Akram Raja, disputes latter’s claim about ‘avoiding’ meetings in solidarity with Imran’s family members

ISLAMABAD: PTI leaders on Wednesday appeared to be at loggerheads over the question of access to party founder Imran Khan, a day after the jail administration’s decision to bar the former prime minister’s sisters from meeting him ended in a clash with police.

On Tuesday, the Adiala administration had stopped Aleema Khan and other family members, but allowed a group of five lawyers — including Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Ali Zafar — to meet the PTI chief in jail.

This development did not go down well with Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, who was also not allowed to meet Mr Khan.

The PTI had given a list of six lawyers — as per the high court order that sanctioned two weekly meetings — to the jail administration for the meeting on Tuesday, but Mr Raja’s name was removed from the list and he was stopped by the jail staff.

It may be noted that the Islamabad High Court had ordered that the PTI founder should be able to meet visitors every Tuesday and Thursday, and that the visits would be coordinated by Salman Akram Raja.

In response to this development, the PTI secretary general said on Tuesday night that people whose names were not included in the list should not meet Imran Khan, and as long as Imran Khan’s sisters were not being allowed to meet him, other leaders should also refrain from meeting the former prime minister.

This apparent dig at Barristers Gohar and Ali Zafar did not go down well with the PTI interim chairman, who took the secretary general to the task in a media talk on Wednesday.

“The party has never decided that no one will meet the founding chairman if his sisters will not be allowed to meet him. Moreover, if that is the case why did Salman Akram Raja meet Imran Khan (on March 25) while Aleema Khan and other sisters were not allowed to meet their brother,” he said.

“I am the chairman of Pakistan’s largest political party and have confidence of Imran Khan. I am facing criticism for last one and half years and I appreciate positive criticism but no one should do it for cheap popularity,” he said.

“…the party has not decided that if one lawyer’s name is removed from the list provided to the Adiala administration, others lawyers will not meet Imran Khan either. Moreover, we have not decided that if Imran Khan’s sisters will not be allowed, no lawyer will meet Mr Khan,” he said.

He said the boycott happened only once and that too at the time of the 26th Amendment. “We had provided a list of five lawyers in which Salman’s name was also included, but when we received the approval, there were names of three lawyers and Salman’s name was missing. We decided that either all five would go there or none of us would. The government was of the view that Salman’s name was not included because he was not a parliamentarian…,” he explained.

Banister Gohar said that the political committee never took such a decision after that, adding that the proposal could be tabled in front of the political committee and if it decided in its favour, then no one would meet Imran Khan if his sisters’ access was restricted.

“However, political point-scoring should not be done, and no one should try to gain cheap popularity. No one should speak about Ali Zafar that he is a ‘favourite’ person. He is great person…(he) contested party cases in the Peshawar High Court, the IHC, the Lahore High Court, the Supreme Court, the Election Commission and at other forums without charging even a single rupee,” he claimed.

Parliamentary party meeting

Later, after the meeting of the PTI parliamentary party, leader of the opposition in National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan said that the Pakistan Peoples Party was responsible for the canals which are being made in Punjab. “In July last year a meeting was called in which President Asif Zardari gave approval for the canals under SIFC,” he alleged.

“However, it is the PTI which has raised the issue and said that the water belongs to Sindh and issue should be addressed through Council of Common Interests,” he said.

“Moreover, a mineral conference was held in Islamabad, but I need to tell that the investment comes to those places where peace prevails. We are being told that the cases against PTI can be withdrawn if Imran Khan seeks an apology. It shows that all cases are politically motivated,” he claimed.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2025