Rawalpindi, November 3,2026: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has strongly rejected media reports suggesting that party founder Imran Khan expressed satisfaction over the end of his party’s government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), describing the reports as “completely false”.
Speaking to the media in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, Gohar said PTI lawyer Barrister Salman Safdar had conveyed that Imran was aware of the emergency and governor’s rule imposed in the province but had not engaged in any extensive political discussion during their meeting.
“One thing I must strongly refute — which some TV channel ran, claiming Khan Sahib said it was very good that his government ended in KP — that is completely false,” Gohar said, adding that Imran had never made any such statement.
He said Safdar had not returned from the meeting with any major political message from the PTI founder.
Safdar met Imran and his wife, Bushra Bibi, at Adiala Jail on Monday following repeated requests for access. The meeting lasted approximately 40 minutes and focused on their health, living conditions and pending legal matters.
Welcoming the meeting, the PTI chairman said restrictions on access to Imran had contributed to heightened political tensions in the country.
He said Safdar’s meeting was the first such interaction since April 8, following a prolonged period during which access to the former prime minister remained restricted.
Gohar maintained that the political situation could have been different had meetings with Imran been allowed, suggesting that tensions might not have escalated to the point of an emergency and governor’s rule in KP.
He said the party had repeatedly sought political meetings with its founder, including requests for access by himself and Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas. When those efforts did not succeed, the party sought permission for Safdar to meet Imran, he added.
Rejecting speculation about internal divisions following the suspension of the PTI-led provincial government, Gohar said all PTI lawmakers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained loyal to Imran and there was no forward bloc within the party.
He said any decision regarding the party’s political direction or internal matters would be taken by Imran himself if the need arose.
Gohar also termed the reported disappearance of KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and the provincial assembly speaker “beyond comprehension”, adding that the case concerning their recovery had been referred to a larger bench of the Peshawar High Court.
Commenting on the broader political situation, the PTI chairman called on political forces to reduce tensions and pursue dialogue and de-escalation in the interest of the country and democracy.
He reiterated the party’s demand that Imran be provided medical treatment and that his personal doctors be allowed access to him.
Gohar further clarified that no discussion had taken place regarding shifting the PTI founder either to Bani Gala or to a prison in Islamabad.
