Senior Legal expert and disgruntled PPP stalwart Sardar Latif Khosa has joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Latif Khosa, the former Punjab governor, confirmed his decision to join the PTI during a press conference in Lahore on Sunday.
The PTI also officially announced his membership on X, erstwhile Twitter, sharing a video of Latif Khosa being welcomed into the party, draped in the customary flag.
— PTI Politics Update (@PTI_Politics) December 17, 2023
During the interaction with media, Khosa stated, “Today marks a journey towards happiness. Today, I invite everyone to embark on a new journey by ending hatred.”
Referring to the recent trend of PTI leaders leaving the party in the aftermath of the May 9 riots, he remarked, “The world says that people do press conferences to leave [the PTI], and you are doing a press conference to join it.”
Khosa, who has represented the former PTI chairman in several cases, asserted that dignity, disgrace and sustenance were in the hands of Almighty God, emphasising that for him, both law and politics were akin to worship.
He expressed that his primary responsibility was towards the motherland, arguing that the state was more than just four walls and a roof or life and property.
Khosa remarked that safeguarding the constitution was the duty of those in power, and providing justice was the responsibility of the judiciary.
He accentuated that empowering the people of Pakistan was the ultimate goal of the constitution, stating that the people were the state, as laid down in Article 7.
Khosa highlighted that the spirit of the state resided in the representatives of the people.
Regarding the challenges facing the Pakistani nation, the former governor asserted that the solution to all issues lay in the constitution. “Whenever there was a deviation from the constitution, the damage had to be borne.”
Khosa mentioned that Pakistan did not come into existence through the firing of bullets; instead, it was formed on the basis of democracy and republicanism. “The 1973 constitution binds us all together today.”
Recalling the deviation from the constitution during the era of former dictator Ziaul Haq, Khosa stated, “Today we are paying the price.”
He recalled that Ziaul Haq, in collaboration with Maulvi Mushtaq, executed PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and buried him, questioning how long the country would continue to play with the removal of prime ministers.
Khosa contended that all state organs and institutions belonged to the people of Pakistan. “This army is ours,” he added, stressing that atrocities occurred only when powers were exceeded.
Khosa also voiced his concern that the PTI was not being provided a level-playing field.
Regarding the Supreme Court’s decision on an appeal filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Khosa saluted Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa for taking action on the matter. The Lahore High Court’s decision could potentially cause a delay in the general elections scheduled for Feb 8 next year.
Khosa stated that 250 million Pakistanis were watching the judiciary and urged it to act responsibly with its decisions, operating within the bounds of the constitution. “The judiciary has taken an oath on the constitution,” concluded Khosa.
