Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Malik Tuesday said the party’s founder has voiced serious concerns over being denied basic prisoner rights and over Pakistan’s deteriorating relations with Afghanistan.
Speaking to the media after meeting the PTI founder, Faisal Malik said the party chief reiterated that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has its own elected government, which is accountable to the people of the province.
“After securing a public mandate in KP, the founder has the right to formulate his own policy, and the Chief Minister has every right to meet him and implement it,” he said.
Malik added that the founder’s petition in the Al-Qadir Trust case has not been fixed for hearing for ten months, which has caused serious concern.
“The founder has instructed that in all future cases, PTI lawyers, MNAs, MPAs, and leaders should personally appear in court. Everyone has the right to go to open court,” he said.
He further alleged that the PTI founder was not being given his rights under the jail manual, stating that “in ten months, he has only been allowed to talk to his children for three minutes.” He added that the founder has no access to television or other basic facilities in prison.
Discussing regional matters, Faisal Malik said the PTI founder had expressed concern over rising tensions with Afghanistan.
“According to the founder, the issue with Afghanistan should be resolved peacefully. If matters continue to worsen, Pakistan will suffer,” he said. “Increasing hatred is not in the interest of Pakistan,” he quoted the founder as saying, adding that terrorism had been significantly reduced during the PTI-led KP government.
Malik drew comparisons with the treatment of other political figures, saying, “When Nawaz Sharif was in jail, all facilities were available. He was allowed family visits and even hosted guests, but our founder is being deprived of such rights.”
He said the founder described a “hard state” as one where the rule of law and the constitution prevail, not one that practices selective justice.