Staff Reporter Islamabad
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders reacted strongly to chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan’s disqualification in the Toshakhana reference and termed the election commission verdict ‘shameful’.
PTI leader and former governor Sindh Imran Ismail condemned the verdict and urged people to “leave for Pakistan”.
“Imran Khan is the name of an honest and trustworthy person. The one who ruled the hearts of crores was disqualified today. It was known that a compromised EC [election commission] would give this decision. The countdown to the imported government has begun. All leave for Pakistan,” the PTI leader said in a tweet.
Reacting to the decision, PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that “today we all say that we do not accept the minus one decision”.
“Pakistan strongly rejects today’s decision. Pakistan’s democracy cannot run without Imran Khan. This injustice to Pakistan’s most beloved leader is unacceptable,” he vowed.
“We are going to challenge this decision in the Supreme Court. There should be no doubt that Imran Khan is our red line,” he added.
PTI KP President Pervez Khattak reacted: “Toshakhana case against Imran Khan is absolutely baseless, who is our read line so watch out.”
PTI senior leader Shahbaz Gill said the PTI would approach every forum against the verdict, adding that Imran has been disqualified from just one seat, not politics.
Barrister Syed Ali Zafar, Imran Khan’s lawyer, reacted that he wonder why the ECP was not issuing the detailed order, adding that as per his understanding one member has not signed it yet. “If so, how can an incomplete body announce an order? This in itself amounts to patent illegality,” he raised a question.
PTI leader Ali Zaidi also called the verdict “shameless” and said the ECP didn’t disqualify Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and “80% of the current cabinet of looters” but disqualified Imran.
