The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has decided not to merge with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), party chairman Barrister Gohar Khan has said and added that all lawmakers would be part of the PTI after getting back the iconic electoral symbol: bat.

In an interview with Dawn News show Doosra Rukh, Gohar said that the PTI has decided not to integrate into the religio-political party and take back its members from Parliament.

On February 19, the PTI announced its decision to ally with the SIC under which the victorious party candidates in the general elections joined the religio-political party in the national and provincial assemblies to secure reserved seats.

The decision was part of its efforts to form governments in the Centre, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the help of a new partner. More than that, winning candidates from Imran Khan’s party had to join a party to secure reserved seats.

But the party failed in its efforts as the Election Commission of Pakistan decided against the allocation of reserved seats to the PTI-backed SIC for “having non-curable legal defects and violation of mandatory provision of submission of the party list for reserved seats.”

The complete show would be aired on Saturday. “We will join our party after getting back the bat symbol. We won by the support and vote of the PTI and we also want representation of the PTI in Parliament,” Gohar said.

It was part of the agreement that the PTI would re-join the party, he said and added: “We will re-join our party after getting the certificate.”

He went on to add that SIC Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza would not join the PTI and hinted that the religio-political party would not merge with the party due to the difference in ideology.

Barrister Ali Zafar to be opposition leader in Senate: Gohar

On Saturday, Gohar spoke to reporters outside the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi after meeting the party’s founder Imran Khan. He said that the Al Qadir Trust case proceedings were conducted in the prison.

He said that the prosecution’s case has no worth, adding that the Toshakhana case was also registered on a political basis.

While quoting Imran Khan, he said that the cases were registered against him on a political basis. Gohar demanded former first lady Bushra Bibi’s medical tests be conducted from the Shaukat Khanum hospital.

He also told reporters that elections for Senate chairman and deputy chairman should be halted until polls for the upper house in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Barrister Ali Zafar will be the opposition leader in the Senate.”

When asked about Shehryar Afridi’s claims related to members in contact with the establishment, Gohar said that there was no need of saying such things outside the party and advised him to speak at party platform.

“I have no such evidence that who are involved [with the establishment],” he said.

PTI’s Sher Afzal said that he supported the candidate for whom Afridi raised his voice. “He raised his voice for Khurram Zeeshan.” Marwat claimed that there were some people within the party with whom he had a tug of war as they don’t want him to be on the “front foot”.