PTI’s mandate should be respected, says Gohar

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan demanded on Sunday the release of the party’s “political prisoners”, including founder Imran Khan, as he said the party’s mandate should be respected.

Barrister Gohar said “healing touch” means there should be no political prisoners in the country. This comment by the politician, who also represents Khan in his legal battles, came during an interview with Arab News, setting the tone for the party’s future moves as its candidates lead in the polls.

“[PTI] mandate has to be respected. Short of it there can be no healing touch.”The politician, who won the election from NA-10 constituency, said: “The people have spoken [through the vote] and for the first time they have spoken in a very tough situation [amid a crackdown against PTI]”.

In the interview, the PTI’s top leader said 95 out of the 102 total independent candidates were backed by the party and remained its loyalists. The PTI will also contest the results in “at least 50 seats” where it considered the results had been manipulated.

The lawyer-cum-politician maintained his party was “near victory in Punjab” and had “two-thirds majority in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa”.“We are actually close to the final figure in the Centre. We would be hopefully forming the government in the Centre, as well as Punjab and the KP,” he added.

Gohar, like several other politicians, also complained about the delay in the release of results by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), even two days after the end of the polling process.“We are giving time to the Election Commission to announce all the results by 12 [am] tonight [Sunday],” he warned.

“If they do not, then we are going to hold a peaceful protest in front of the RO [Returning Officer] offices in all those areas where elections [results] have not been announced or elections [results] have been withheld,” Gohar added.

While saying the nation had decided in favour of the PTI, the politician also hinted at the possible release of the party’s founder in the coming days.“I think we will go to the high court, these convictions [against Khan] would be set aside and he will be out soon,” said Gohar.