Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) dissociated itself from a protest scheduled to take place in Washington DC on June 14 during an official visit by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal General Asim Munir, Barrister Gohar Khan has confirmed.

 

During an interaction with reporters in Islamabad on Tuesday, the Chairman of PTI was asked, “The Army Chief has left for America today, and PTI gave a protest’s call [in the US]. Do you support it?" 

 

In response, Gohar clarified that PTI has not given any protest call. “PTI has not released a press statement to the effect nor has the party instructed people to stage a protest. So, PTI has not given any call,” he stated. 

 

Gohar said that if people in foreign countries do stage a protest, it is their own choice.

 

On Monday, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), PTI’s Secretary for Overseas Affairs Sajjad Burki called for a protest outside the Pakistan embassy in Washington on the forthcoming Saturday, coinciding with the expected presence of senior Pakistani officials in the US capital.

 

“Preparing for a massive protest in Washington, DC at the arrival of the […] Asif Munir. PTI USA and over 12 cooperating organizations from the Pakistani diaspora are collaborating to protest in front of the Pakistan Embassy on Saturday, June 14 (sic),” Burki wrote.

 

He urged people to join the protest to “restore democracy in Pakistan.”

 

While the PTI announcement claims that General Munir will visit the US capital around the same time, confirmation remains pending from both US and Pakistani officials.