LAHORE: PTI leaders imprisoned in Kot Lakhpat Jail penned an open letter from prison on Tuesday, criticising the ruling PML-N and PPP for disgracing the Charter of Democracy (CoD) they signed 19 years ago to strengthen civilian supremacy.

PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mah­m­ood Qureshi, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema and Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed said the lust of power was too big a temptation for both parties, and PTI leader Imran Khan had become a ‘major obstruction’ in that path.

It is worth noting that Mr Qureshi was part of the PPP when it signed the CoD in 2006.

“Today, we have a government which is proud to call itself a hybrid regime, the most vocal proponent of this is Khawaja Asif, the defence minister. We wonder when is PML-N head Nawaz Sharif going to support it. We wish Benazir Bhutto were here to see what her son Bilawal Bhutto has done to the 1973 Constitution. Both parties that signed the CoD are responsible for destroying democracy,” it claimed. The CoD was signed in London in 2006 by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.

Allege CEC was given extension to deny their party reserved seats

“In the CoD, both parties had committed to end military intervention and vowed to never seek military backup for power. They went back on their words and went for a regime change,” the letter said in reference to the vote of no confidence against Imran Khan in April 2022.

It said the PML-N and the PPP had committed to an independent judiciary in the CoD. “Today, both the parties are responsible for undermining the independence of the judiciary through the 26th Amendment. It is now a toothless tiger malleable to the hybrid regime,” the letter said.

The PTI leaders claimed that the Election Commission of Pakistan was fully involved in the manipulation of the 2024 election. “The term of the current CEC and two members of the ECP has expired. A constitutional amendment was brought about for the continuation of the present CEC. He had to continue; otherwise, who would have given the reserved seats of the PTI to other parties. Now that the deed has been done…he (Sikandar Sultan Raja) can go home in peace. He has managed to give a clear majority to the hybrid regime.”

They cited the CoD, saying the landmark document had said “there will be no political victimisation”, but “the worst form” of political victimisation occurred over the last three years.

They said that media freedom was another important commitment of the CoD. However, under the new Peca Act, media freedom had been completely compromised.“

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2025