ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has expressed willingness to talk with the establishment, saying the door for talks with the military was never closed.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has also hoped the incarcerated party leader, Imran Khan, will be “released in a week”, even though the government has dismissed reports of negotiations with the opposition party.
He called the former prime minister’s incarceration “unjustified” as the cases against him were “bogus and politically motivated”.
Speaking to reporters outside Adiala Jail on Tuesday after meeting Mr Khan, along with party leaders Salman Akram Raja and Ali Zafar, Mr Gohar said the jailed PTI leader had shut the door on talks with the government but not with the military establishment.
He said Pakistan managed to triumph over India in recent clashes due to national unity.
Hopes Imran will be released soon; govt denies negotiations with jailed PTI founder
“Now that we are at peace with global powers, there is hope of peace internally,” he said, referring to the local political situation.
He hoped that Mr Khan would be released soon. “We pray it happens this week,” he said, without elaborating how the jailed ex-PM could be released with appeals against his conviction pending in court.
‘No exceptions for Imran’
Meanwhile, the federal government has dismissed reports of talks with PTI for Mr Khan’s release. He said no individual could be granted special treatment and the only way to seek relief is through courts.
“If exceptions are made for one, we must equally address the plight of 90,000 others languishing in prisons awaiting justice,” PML-N leader Irfan Siddiqui said during a discussion on a private TV channel.
Mr Siddiqui added that the nation’s stability didn’t hinge on any single individual’s incarceration. “Our institutions remain functional, and the economy is on a recovery trajectory despite inherited challenges,” he claimed.
“There are no direct or backchannel talks going on with the PTI chief, and the reports are completely baseless,” he said.
He said the PTI “must abandon any illusion of external help, either from the IMF or foreign powers”. He accused the previous PTI government of political victimisation and misusing state institutions to fabricate charges against opponents.
On the report of a possible attempt by PTI to present a no-confidence motion against the prime minister or National Assembly speaker, Mr Siddiqui said if the opposition party can secure the required numbers, “we will face it with grace and composure”.
PTI condemns India
Meanwhile, PTI has condemned India’s hawkish attitude and aggressive posture against Pakistan. In a statement, PTI leader Sheikh Waqas Akram said New Delhi seemed “hell-bent on weaponising water” flowing into Pakistan.
The “bloodthirsty” Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, not only categorically stated that water and blood cannot flow together but also reportedly expedited the planning and execution of reservoir projects on Chenab, Jhelum and Indus rivers. He said the plan to double the Ranbir Canal’s length on the Chenab was a blatant violation of the Indus Waters Treaty. He urged the government to adopt a proactive strategic response to counter India’s violations of the treaty.
Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2025
