Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Tuesday rejected the federal government’s proposal for a meeting involving the country’s “top five figures” to resolve the ongoing political crisis.
Speaking near Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, he said that negotiations at the level of the top five leaders were unnecessary and ineffective. “Neither can the top five big players meet, nor is there any need for it,” he added.
Gohar emphasized that PTI had not called off negotiations but questioned the logic of talks without the participation of party founder Imran Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023 facing multiple corruption and terrorism cases. “We come every Tuesday and leave without meeting [PTI founder],” he noted, asserting that meetings with Khan had been deliberately made controversial and no one had met the former premier for over a month.
PTI Secretary General Barrister Salman Akram Raja stressed that no dialogue could move forward without Imran Khan, warning that discussions among only four or five leaders would produce zero results.
Barrister Ali Zafar added that the political environment did not appear “conducive to negotiations,” citing cases lodged against PTI leadership and allegations of worker harassment and torture.
Meanwhile, PML-N Senator Rana Sanaullah criticized PTI’s confrontational stance, warning of consequences if the party founder continued opposing the state.
He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had extended the dialogue offer after consultations with the establishment and PML-N President Nawaz Sharif. Sanaullah added that there would be no obstacle to meeting Imran Khan if PTI complied with Islamabad High Court orders.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif noted that serious negotiations had made no progress, with discussions limited to press statements. He clarified that the government would accept any opposition nominee for leading talks, including Mahmood Khan Achakzai, emphasizing flexibility in representation.
The ongoing standoff highlights deep mistrust between PTI and the federal government, with both sides emphasizing the need for a conducive environment and the participation of Imran Khan for any meaningful dialogue to succeed.
