LAHORE, MAY 16 /DNA/ – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf acknowledges the importance of statement issued upon conclusion of the Special Corps Commanders Conference held at GHQ on May 15, 2023 and considers the impression of a well-thought-out plan of promoting violence & mayhem engulfing several government buildings, military structures and hundreds of unarmed & peaceful citizens.

As a responsible & the largest political institution in the federation of Pakistan, PTI has an unwavering commitment to the constitution & democracy, and it believes that the constitution is a beacon of light for all of us at individual as well as collective levels and solutions to the most intricate problems lie within the ambit of constitution and bounds of laws.

Peaceful protest after Chairman PTI’s illegal abduction through paramilitary troops of Rangers from within the premises of Islamabad High Court on May 9, was a natural & foreseeable reaction guaranteed by the constitution as a basic right to peaceful protest to the public, however a plethora of irrefutable evidence is available to establish that armed miscreants had been entered into the peaceful gatherings, who had indulged into arson and firing live bullets on the peaceful protestors leaving dozens killed and hundreds injured.

Besides an assassination attempt on his life on November 3, 2022, in Wazirabad and through the peaceful, legal and constitutional struggle by Chairman Imran Khan spanning across almost three decades, this was the incident of its own nature where general public along with political workers have been targeted through live bullets to incite confrontation between the largest political force in the country & the armed forces of Pakistan.

PTI believes that identification of elements involved in this unusual incident of violence & chaos through a credible investigation is inevitable. Chairman Imran Kha, therefore in his address to the nation after his release from illegal abduction on the orders of Supreme Court on May 13, 2023, has proposed the constitution of a powerful Judicial Commission consisting of SC Judge(s). We have ample amount of evidence to present to any independent inquiry that the arson and in some places, shootings were done by agencies men who wanted to cause mayhem and blame it on PTI so the current crackdown would be justified.

In addition to this PTI has a firm belief in the supremacy of law & constitution and considers individual or institutional prejudices, unnecessary haste in execution of law(s) and condoning facts because of power and authority unequivocally lethal for state and social order. We believe converging the roles of ‘Judge, Jury & Executioner’ in one person or the institution not only contradicts the basic principle of justice but negatively impacts an overall scheme of administration of justice and has no space and scope in a civilized, democratic & constitutional order.

PTI acknowledges the significance of national consensus over national issues and believes that the acceptance & backing by the public are the fundamental determinants of the acceptance & acceptability of a political party. PTI strongly believes that after Almighty’s Sovereignty, the right to rule belongs to the people who are privileged & authorized to undertake national policy & decision making through their elected representatives. Contrary to the will of people, and beyond the ambit of law & constitution, a consensus of any kind among undemocratic or inorganic political groups adds to the instability & uncertainty only. Therefore, it is critical that right to decision making should be routed back to the people of Pakistan through instantly held free, fair & credible elections so that the future of the nation is anchored upon harmony instead of lasting confrontation.