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Imran Khan realised appointing Usman Buzdar as CM was a mistake: Zulfi Bukhari

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  • Zulfi Bukhari says decision to stick with Buzdar was right. 
  • Former SAPM condemns May 9 attacks on military installations.
  • Bukhari also distances himself and PTI from Farah Gogi.

LONDON: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s close aide Sayed Zulfi Bukhari has said that making Usman Buzdar chief minister of Punjab was a mistake of the party and that the former prime minister realised the mistake soon but had limited options to replace him.

Bukhari was speaking at the SOAS University of London on the topic of “Democracy in Crisis”, organised by SOAS Pakistan Discussion Forum. He spoke frankly for over two hours about the blunders made by the PTI during their nearly four-year stint in government and took critical questions from the students.

He claimed that when Imran Khan reflected on his time in power he realised that Usman Buzdar was not the right choice as Punjab chief minister but things got complicated politically as there were many groups of the party in Punjab who wanted to replace Buzdar.

“There was Aleem Khan group and other power groups. There would have been a war within the PTI if Buzdar was removed and Imran Khan did the right thing by sticking to him, to avoid the war within,” said Bukhari who now lives in London and has been campaigning for Imran Khan’s case on international media.

He said: “I don’t think he was a good chief minister and was able to perform and deliver. By the time calls against Buzdar grew after two years, it was too late and changing him after a year or two would have made the post a revolving door. Nobody would say Usman Buzdar was a good decision but we supported his decisions.”

Bukhari also distanced himself and the PTI from Farah Gogi who is former first lady Bushra Bibi’s best friend and confidante. He added that if the latest revelations about Gogi’s alleged corruption are true, and not just a media trial, then she should be dealt with strictly by the law.

When asked why Imran Khan defended her in the media, Bukhari said Khan was not aware of Gogi’s business and it was not for him to investigate her.

The former special assistant to PM also condemned the May 9 attacks on military installations.

“We have condemned all forms of violence, especially the attack on Jinnah House which has a sacred value. We have always stood against violence. Ordinary people say things in emotions. It’s the job of the leadership to positively tunnel their emotions towards a democratic process to bring about a real change. We are the biggest stakeholder being the biggest political party and we will get more losses than others in any such scenario,” said Bukhari.

However, the PTI leader said that they made many mistakes in the four years they ruled and if given another chance they would not repeat those mistakes as a different kind of leadership will be around, and not the likes of those who chose to ditch the party in difficult times.

Answering a question, Bukhari said that two people closest to Imran Khan during the PTI govt were behind making a false case against him.

“The Ring Road case against me was framed by two people who were then closest to Imran Khan: one of them (Azam Khan) has now become an approver against Khan and another (Shehzad Akbar) has left Pakistan. The purpose was to campaign against me. I resigned from my position and didn’t return to the government after that.”

Bukhari said the PTI was ready to talk to all political parties to find a way forward, including PML-N and PPP. But, he said, the PML-N was not interested as it saw PTI as a rival In Punjab and PPP had no such issue in Punjab.

“We want them to sit with us and talk about elections and democracy,” said the PTI leader.

Bukhari said this was his deliberate decision not to take part in PTI UK’s political activities because his participation could have consequences for the workers and leaders back home.

He said things initially were all fine between PTI and the army but issues started later on.

He said: “As far as General Bajwa is concerned, he could have suggested things to the PM and not dictate.”

Imran Khan’s former special assistant claimed that over 13,000 activists were arrested after May 9 and put in dire conditions but the rest have been released and around 7,000 remain in jails.

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Imran Khan’s bail request in the Toshakhana-II case has had its objections dismissed.

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In the Toshakhana-II case, the Islamabad High Court has dismissed the objections to PTI founder Imran Khan’s bail request.

IHC instructed the registrar’s office to schedule the hearing for the case for Monday.

Imran Khan’s attorneys, Shaheena Shahab, Ayesha Khalid, and others, arrived in court today as IHC Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb heard the case.

The registrar’s objections to the plea were questioned by Justice Aurangzeb. In the Toshakhana-II case, Imran Khan submitted a bail application, according to counsel Ayesha Khalid.

Justice Miangul said that previous rulings in circumstances comparable to this one adhered to the consistency principle. In this instance, the petitioner was a man, he added.

Bushra Bibi was given bail because she was a woman, according to the justice, and an application like this one was denied yesterday.

Given that the case action date was November and the power of attorney was executed in July, Justice Aurangzeb raised a concern about the timing.

Justice requested the help of Advocate Shah Khawar in this case.

When an applicant was held in jail, Shah Khawar retorted that it was standard procedure to obtain signatures on required documents, such as a power of attorney.

Imran Khan’s attorney, Shaheena Shahab, asked the court to send out notices regarding the bail plea. A judge named Aurangzeb said that the law would be observed.

Following arguments, the court dismissed the registrar office’s objections and ordered that the case hearing be scheduled for Monday.

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PTI presents seven nominations to Imran Khan for the judicial commission.

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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has proposed seven individuals to its founder, Imran Khan, for consideration as founding members of PTI for membership in the next Judicial Commission.

None of the nominated individuals are attorneys; rather, the roster includes four Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) and three senators.

The proposed MNAs are Umar Ayub, Asad Qaiser, Ali Mohammad Khan, and Aamir Dogar, while the senators are Shibli Faraz, Mohsen Aziz, and Aun Abbas Bapi. Sources suggest that the Judicial Commission will include one opposition member from both the National Assembly and the Senate.

The PTI founder will evaluate and endorse two names from the suggested list, which will then be sent to the Speaker for future actions.

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Miller confirmed that Biden’s administration got a letter from a congressman requesting the release of the PTI founder.

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Following his removal as prime minister in 2022, Khan started a protest movement against a coalition of his enemies led by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Since then, he has been in jail since August 2023 and has been involved in hundreds of cases.

In response to ARY News’ question over the congressmen’s letter during a media briefing in Washington on Monday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “We will respond in due course to the members.”

The United States wants to see Pakistan maintain its democracy, Miller stated.

The release of the PTI founder’s wife and sisters was a result of a meeting between the US Deputy Assistant Secretary and a Pakistani government representative in Islamabad, which was further questioned during the press briefing.

“I won’t be addressing that,” Miller said when asked if the United States was involved in their release. Miller did, however, affirm that the conference included the defense of Pakistan’s basic liberties and rights.

Sixty-two members of the US Congress urged President Joe Biden on October 24 to support the release of Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, and other political prisoners.

The congressmen, who included well-known Muslim members Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, said in their letter that the Biden administration should ask Pakistani authorities to guarantee the safety of PTI founder Imran Khan.

They also underlined that US policy should concentrate on Pakistan’s human rights situation and asked that US ambassadors attend the PTI leader’s incarceration.

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