ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Friday said PTI leaders were seeking dialogue with the government, but jailed party founder Imran Khan opposed the move, even as the party remained firm on its call for protests on Feb 8.
In December, the PTI had declined to hold dialogue with the government until the provision of a “level-playing field” to the party.
Speaking to Geo News, Mr Sanaullah said the government had been in contact with PTI leaders for dialogue, stating that “several of them are in favour of negotiations with the government”.
“Whenever politicians come to the table for talks, problems get solved and a way gets paved.”
Reiterating that many PTI leaders were interested in negotiations, the PM’s aide said: “Whenever they meet us, they say that Imran is not in favour of any sort of talks with the government.”
He further said the PTI’s arrangements, speeches and mobilisation efforts for the upcoming protest on Feb 8 indicated that they were “standing firm on their decision and would not step back” as per the government’s assessment.
“However,” he added, “the PTI leaders think that if they get to meet Imran Khan, they could convince him to postpone the protest and initiate dialogue with the government.”
When asked about a meeting between PTI leaders and Mr Khan, Mr Sanaullah said: “They have gone too far now; any initiation of dialogue or meeting with the PTI founder can be possible only after Feb 8.” Mr Sanaullah also implied that the government would deal with the protests “administratively”, and that the PTI would emerge “unsuccessful”.
He advised the PTI to “play its role” in parliamentary processes and return to the committee proceedings from which it had abstained.
Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2026
