Rawalpindi (Web Desk): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Monday said that party founder and former premier Imran Khan has penned a letter to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir, urging a reevaluation of the country's policies.
The letter, which will be made public today, emphasizes the widening gap between the people and the military establishment.
In the communication, Imran, through his representative Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, highlighted the growing mistrust between the two, noting that the military’s actions and some of the current policies were causing dissatisfaction among the public. The letter states that this distrust should be addressed to prevent further divisions within the country.
Imran Khan pointed to several issues contributing to the breakdown in trust, including the upcoming elections, the controversial 26th amendment, and the recent amendments to the Peca law. He also expressed concern about the increasing use of social media restrictions, arguing that these moves were suppressing dissent and limiting freedom of expression.
According to PTI lawyer Faisal Chaudhry, the former prime minister also addressed the growing unease among citizens about the alleged rigging of the February 8 elections, which he claims resulted in a minority government being imposed against the will of the majority.
Further elaborating on the issues raised in the letter, Chaudhry explained that Imran criticized the passage of the 26th amendment, which he believed undermined the judiciary and facilitated the manipulation of both the election process and ongoing legal cases, including those involving Imran himself.
He claimed that court decisions were being delayed intentionally to hinder Imran’s legal appeals, particularly by assigning them to "favored judges."
Additionally, the letter voiced strong opposition to the recent changes made to the Peca law, which Imran argues restrict public discourse and freedom of thought, favoring only government-aligned opinions.
These actions, according to Chaudhry, were putting the country’s IT sector at risk and jeopardizing Pakistan’s status under the GSP+ trade arrangement, with potential human rights violations causing international concern.
The PTI leadership also raised alarm over how the country’s security institutions seemed focused on targeting the PTI instead of addressing other national issues, such as rising terrorism.
Chaudhry added Imran believes that the excessive focus on suppressing PTI and its supporters has distracted law enforcement from dealing with the growing terrorism problem, exacerbating the country’s security challenges.
Imran’s letter also accused some factions within the establishment of failing to implement court orders and allowing the harassment of journalists and judges, which further strained the public’s relationship with institutions of power.
He emphasized the importance of changing policies to align with constitutional principles and the rule of law to restore political stability in Pakistan.
Reflecting on the broader implications of the current situation, Imran, according to his legal team, stressed the need for free and fair elections, the protection of human rights, and the safeguarding of democratic processes.
He expressed frustration that the Supreme Court had not taken up many of the petitions filed by him and his party over the past 18 months, particularly those related to human rights violations and election irregularities.
Earlier, in a letter to both the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi and head of the Constitutional Bench Justice Amin-ud-Din, Imran had raised similar concerns, accusing the government of passing laws specifically targeting PTI members.
His legal team provided detailed documentation to support these claims, including evidence of state action against PTI workers.
The letter, along with its extensive annexures, included hundreds of pages featuring photographs, medical records, court rulings, petitions, press articles, and other pertinent materials that the PTI leader believed validated his assertions.