‘Implement Supreme Court Orders or Lock Up the Courts,’ Says PTI Leader Sohail Afridi
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Sohail Afridi has strongly criticized the government and administration over the treatment of PTI founder Imran Khan, alleging that the Supreme Court’s orders regarding his medical treatment and hospital transfer were once again ignored.
Addressing an emergency press conference, Afridi said the orders issued by three Supreme Court judges had been “thrown into the dustbin.” He warned that the judiciary was the last hope of the people and that public confidence in the judicial system would erode if court decisions were not implemented.
“The judges now have to make a clear decision: either ensure implementation of their verdicts or lock up the courts,” he said.
Afridi said Imran Khan was not an ordinary individual but one of Pakistan’s most popular political leaders and the head of the country’s largest political party. He questioned where an ordinary Pakistani citizen could seek justice if such treatment could be meted out to a major political leader.
The PTI leader accused the powerful elite of considering themselves above the Constitution, law and judiciary. He alleged that those responsible for Imran Khan’s detention had no fear of contempt of court proceedings.
Afridi warned that continued disregard for judicial orders and the rule of law would turn Pakistan into a “banana republic.” He further said that if the people were pushed toward revolt, the situation could become difficult for anyone to control.
Announcing the party’s future course of action, he said PTI’s legal team, including prominent lawyers such as acting party chairman and Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, would file a contempt of court case over what he described as an open violation of judicial orders.
He said the matter was not merely an insult to three judges but amounted to contempt of the entire judiciary.
Afridi claimed that the recent treatment of Imran Khan had increased rather than reduced public anger and enthusiasm. He announced that PTI would intensify its public outreach campaign from the following day, with visits planned to Hangu and Buner.
He said the party would launch a nationwide political movement for Imran Khan’s release and the supremacy of law.
