Despite PTI exodus vote belongs only to Imran, says Umar

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former finance minister Asad Umar has said that despite the fact that a large number of leaders are parting ways with the party, the vote bank is still intact and it belongs only to Imran Khan. "You know that the vote belongs only to Imran Khan, whether someone is there or not, it doesn't make any difference… when [former prime minister] Zulfikar Ali Bhutto faced difficult times, where were the party leaders? There was no one left in PPP. When PML-Q formed the government in 2002, all the PML-N members were in it," he said while speaking to the media outside the Islamabad High Court. When asked about a possible meeting with Imran Khan as he was leaving for Lahore, Umar replied, "Yes, it is possible that I may meet him." In response to a question about future plans, Asad Umar smiled and said nothing. Read more: ‘Walls of shame’ erected against PTI at many places in twin cities Answering a question about "scripted" press conferences of PTI leaders, Asad Umar said it cannot be said about his press conferences. "My press conference was different. No matter how many times you ask, I am still a part of the party". "Decisions taken by politicians – right or wrong, should not be judged during rallies and TV programmes. It should not be the case that political opponents become targets of revenge. Just because we have to run the democracy together does not mean that those who indulge in corruption should go unpunished. The rule of law should prevail, and those who break the law should be punished." When asked about the improvement in the economic situation of the country, Umar responded that the report from PBS has come out which, according to him, stated that the conditions for 250 million people of Pakistan are extremely challenging. Also read: Ex-PTI MPA among 16 handed over to army for trial Earlier, a division bench of the IHC granted protective bail to Asad Umar till Thursday and instructed him to approach the relevant court in Lahore during the time period. The bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhter Kayani and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri heard the bail petition of Umar. The petitioner’s lawyer adopted the stance that his client was a responsible citizen and prayed to the court to grant him a two-week protective bail as he also had to appear before courts in other cases. The lawyer said a first information report had been registered against Umar in the Gulburg Police Station Lahore. The court accepted the request and granted bail to the PTI leader against surety bonds of Rs25,000. The court also instructed the petitioner to approach the court concerned for relief till Thursday. Also, Anti-Terrorism Court’s Judge Raja Jawad Abbas reserved his judgment on the interim bail petition of Asad Umar in a case pertaining to rioting and vandalising at the judicial complex. Umar’s counsel adopted the stance that his client was at the IHC when the incident took place. He was not seen in the CCTV cameras footage of the Judicial Complex of the date, he added. Prosecutor Adnan Ali said the accused not only brought rioters in the Judicial Complex but also instigated them for vandalising the public property. The court asked the prosecutor to tell any incident till 2023 where a terrorist without weapons resorted to terrorism. It was the first case where the accused of terrorism were unarmed, he added. The prosecutor said a campaign had been launched to weaken the judiciary. The protesters vandalised the judicial complex and burnt vehicles. After hearing arguments, the court reserved its judgment and adjourned the hearing till Tuesday.

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