Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Salman Akram Raja, speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail on Tuesday, said the party’s founder, Imran Khan, has entrusted the decision on contesting the upcoming by-elections to the PTI political committee.
Raja revealed that Khan did not accept his resignation and reiterated the nomination of Mahmood Khan Achakzai for the National Assembly.
“The political committee will meet again this evening to deliberate on the elections in line with the founder’s instructions,” he added.
He also remarked that only opposition leaders Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz are actively fighting their legal battles in the courts.
Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, who also met Imran Khan after three months, said he was pleased that the meetings had resumed. “There should be no ban on meetings. Dialogue is always better, and I try to reach an understanding,” he remarked.
He announced that PTI plans to hold a large rally in September, calling it a movement for the “freedom of judiciary, restoration of democracy, and release of the founder.”
Gohar confirmed that facilities for Imran Khan inside the jail had been restored, with newspapers now being provided to him.
According to Gohar, discussions in Tuesday’s meeting also covered national politics, party affairs, and the flood situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Imran Khan expressed grief over the devastation caused by torrential rains in the province and directed PTI workers to ensure full relief and rehabilitation efforts for the victims.
Clarifying on Raja’s resignation, he said it had only been verbal, and therefore the question of its acceptance or rejection did not arise.