ISLAMABAD: The PTI has “distanced” itself from the “exaggerated” number of casualties being circulated on social media and formally acknowledged the deaths of 12 of its members during the party’s recent demonstration in the nation’s capital.
For the first time since the protest in Islamabad last week, top PTI leaders met with Imran Khan, the party’s jailed founder, at Adiala Jail on Monday.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar told the reporters following the meeting that the party has information regarding 12 individuals who were shot and died during the demonstration. According to him, the PTI is a democratic party that refrains from making careless remarks.
When discussing the death toll, he stated, “We have only provided the figure for which we have the details.”
“As long as we don’t have the evidence to support those claims, we have stated on record that we reject claims regarding the inflated death toll.”
The number of PTI supporters slain at the Islamabad protest was the subject of unverified reports. Despite the government’s assertion of zero casualties, various PTI leaders’ statements and social media sources placed the number between 20 and 300.
Mr. Gohar stated that even one person shouldn’t have been killed, thus the argument about the exact number of casualties wasn’t significant.
According to the PTI chairman, Mr. Khan conveyed his grief over the party workers’ deaths and instructed the leadership to bring up the matter in parliament.
Mr. Gohar claims that because the PTI founder lacked access to television and newspapers, he was unaware of what was happening during the demonstration.
Mr. Khan has urged the leadership to ignore the critics and “maintain unity among the ranks.”
Mr. Gohar stated that he would shortly unveil a future plan.
PTI workers and leadership attempted to reach a location where the demonstration would have had the greatest impact, he said when asked why they proceeded to the D-Chowk in the Red Zone after Mr. Khan agreed to move it to Sangjani.
He asserted that there was no strategy or order to go to D-Chowk by any means.
Mr. Gohar claimed that the argument about the protest site was pointless and “set up to deflect attention from PTI worker deaths.”
Mr. Gohar stated that despite the limitations placed on the PTI and the attempts to outlaw the party, the political battle will go on.
The PTI chairman refuted rumors regarding Mr. Khan’s health, asserting that the imprisoned leader is doing OK.
