PTI to Launch Parallel Assembly Outside Parliament Amid Allegations of Political Suppression

Islamabad — Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan announced Monday that the party will begin holding its own assembly outside the National Assembly starting Tuesday, in protest against what he called the systematic suppression of the party’s voice within Parliament.

Speaking to the media alongside other senior PTI leaders, Gohar said, “Our microphones were shut, our voice was suppressed inside Parliament. This is not democracy, it’s fascism.” He added that if PTI founder Imran Khan instructs them to resign, all party lawmakers are ready to step down from their seats.

Gohar accused the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of bias, claiming that it issued notifications to all political parties except PTI. “What is the use of such a fabricated Parliament and its committees?” he asked, before announcing that the party would now conduct parallel sessions outside Parliament to represent their constituents.

The PTI leadership also announced a boycott of upcoming National Assembly sessions and clarified that they would not contest by-elections for the seats vacated due to the sentencing of PTI MNAs.

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Former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, also present, criticized the federal government’s handling of flood relief efforts and claimed that PTI’s aid operations were being obstructed. “We are standing with flood victims, yet our relief camps are being dismantled. Even during national disasters, political victimization continues,” he said.

Qaiser further warned that the floodwaters were heading toward Sindh and urged the United Nations and international community to assist Pakistan in managing the crisis. “This disaster threatens not only lives but our agricultural sector as well,” he added.

The PTI leadership reiterated their loyalty to party founder Imran Khan and emphasized that calls for national dialogue remain open, despite what they described as a “stolen mandate” and ongoing persecution.