ISLAMABAD: PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan has said he was willing to speak to those who have power, in the best interest of the country.

He made these remarks during a meeting with his lawyers at the Adiala Jail. The conversation has been shared from the incarcerated former prime minister’s ‘X’ account.

Mr Khan said that the nation needed to remain vigilant as India Prime Minister Narendra Modi can decide to attack on Pakistan any time to satisfy his domestic audience. He said that the nation should remain united and the voice of masses should be heard.

Mr Khan said he has always said that he was willing to speak to those who have power, in the best interest of the sake of the country. However, he said that the talks should be for restoration of the constitution, rule of law, judicial independence. The former prime minister said that he does not want any deal or facilities for himself.

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He also said that the negotiations with the government would be useless as it does not have any power or authority.

Mr Khan further said that it was unfortunate that the people who came on the streets on May 9 were being punished to change their narrative. He said that Dr Yasmeen Rashid and Andleeb Abbas were in the same vehicle and held joint presser but later one who changed the stance was freed and other was in jail. He claimed that Shah Mehmood Qureshi was being pressurised to record statement against him [Imran Khan] in the cipher case but now being punished as he refused to do so.

The former prime minister said that his sisters informed him about the first interview of his sons Qasim and Suleman which was appreciated by masses.

PTI protest outside IHC

Meanwhile, former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser has claimed that all cases against the PTI founder and its workers were baseless, saying the judiciary must ensure decisions are made on merit.

Addressing a PTI parliamentarians’ protest outside the Islamabad High Court, Mr Qaiser stated that they had gathered to demand justice for their leader and party workers.

He remarked that even before the court verdicts were announced, the outcomes seemed to be known to the public, raising questions about transparency. He alleged that the judiciary was planning to distribute PTI’s reserved seats among treasury benches, which, he asserted, was a blatant violation of the Constitution.

He urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan and chiefs of all high courts to uphold the dignity and independence of the judicial system.

He further stated that the 26th Constitutional Amendment has undermined the justice system in Pakistan and vowed that PTI would challenge it at every forum.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2025