ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Pervez Rashid has accused Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan of trying to ‘terrorise’ the judiciary into giving decisions that were to his liking.

“Mr Khan wants to terrorise the courts. He wants to put courts under pressure. It is the terrorists’ way to get decisions of their liking at gunpoint; [such behaviour] does not behove a democratic politician,” the minister told a press conference, held shortly after Mr Khan’s presser in Bani Gala, on Sunday.

The minister used the term “political terrorism” to describe the PTI’s agitational approach, saying: “Whenever we succeed in saving the country from terrorists, we fall prey to political terrorism.”

Mr Rashid alleged that the PTI chief was working on a plan that would vindicate a certain shade of opinion in the international media, which holds that Pakistan’s geography would be changed by Dec 2015.

He also criticised Mr Khan for adopting a new position: that PTI members would not return to the National Assembly, come what may. Calling it “another U-Turn”, the minister said the PTI chief had said on a number of occasions that he would end his protest if the judicial commission declared that the 2013 elections were not widely rigged.

He reiterated the government’s stance, saying that the PTI would have to call off its protest if it wanted to return to the negotiating table.

“We are sitting here, waiting for you to come to us for talks after calling off the protest,” the minister said when asked if the government had any conditions regarding the resumption of talks.

Even terrorists announced that they would cease their activities during talks with the government, Mr Rashid mused.

“Talks are held with a cool head. With hot heads, one can only fight. We want Mr Khan to cool down so talks can begin,” the minister said, adding: “Imran Khan should announce that he will participate in the negotiations and not in the sit-in.”

While extending the PTI an olive branch, the minister also said that there was no point in holding further talks after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Aug 13 letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, asking him to form a judicial commission to investigate Mr Khan’s allegations.

Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar spoke at a ceremony organised by the All Pakistan Newspapers Society, alleging that the sit-in might be part of an international conspiracy to set Pakistan in the wrong direction.

He said the PTI would have to prove that there was systematic and planned rigging aimed at bringing the PML-N into power in last year’s elections.

“We believe in the reforms spelled out by the PTI and have formed a parliamentary committee to make elections more transparent,” Mr Dar said.

Published in Dawn December 8th , 2014