ISLAMABAD: Members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) staged a walkout from the National Assembly on Thursday in protest against what they termed the continued denial of a meeting with the party’s founder, Imran Khan.
Speaking on the floor of the House, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said PTI is the largest political party in the country which secured around 30 million votes in the general elections.
“We have repeatedly requested permission to meet Imran Khan,” he said, adding that the party had always stood by the state and remained committed to constitutional supremacy.
Barrister Gohar said PTI lawmakers were being denied access to the party founder despite repeated requests. He noted that many party workers and leaders had made sacrifices for the party’s ideology.
He warned that PTI would decide in a joint parliamentary party meeting whether it should continue participating in Parliament.
“We will decide whether or not to remain in this Parliament,” he said, urging National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to issue a ruling facilitating a meeting with Imran Khan.
Responding to the remarks, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq said he had already facilitated three meetings between PTI leaders and the government, but the opposition party continued to stage walkouts.
PTI Chairman dismissed reports of forward block within party
Earlier, while speaking to the media, Barrister Gohar dismissed reports of the formation of a forward bloc within PTI. He acknowledged the existence of internal differences but said there was no organised group working against the party leadership or the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.
He added that consultations were underway to address the concerns of PTI lawmakers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly regarding governance and development projects, and said the party leadership was committed to resolving their reservations through dialogue.