‘Long March Was Supposed to Be Stopped, and It Has Been Stopped; Now Things Must Return to Normal,’ Says Barrister Gohar

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has said that the imposition of Governor’s Rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa can last for a maximum of six months under the Constitution, arguing that the situation should now be restored to normal after the party’s long march was stopped.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Barrister Gohar said the PTI had challenged the imposition of Governor’s Rule and the emergency in the Peshawar High Court and would also take the matter to the Federal Constitutional Court.

“The long march had to be stopped, and it has been stopped. Now things should be restored,” he said.

The PTI chairman maintained that there were no valid grounds for imposing Governor’s Rule or an emergency in the province and expressed hope that the courts would provide relief.

He urged the Peshawar High Court to hear the matter first and constitute a larger bench to examine the constitutional and legal questions involved.

Barrister Gohar reiterated that the party believed the measures lacked a sufficient legal basis and said it expected the judiciary to intervene.

Responding to a question about Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, the PTI chairman said he did not know where Afridi was at the time.

He also criticised the arrests of members of the provincial assembly, saying such action should not have been taken.

Barrister Gohar called for the situation to be reversed and for normal political and constitutional processes to be restored in the province.

The PTI has maintained that the imposition of Governor’s Rule and the emergency is unconstitutional, while the legal challenge is expected to be examined by the relevant courts.