PTI says no decision possible without Imran Khan as talks with govt collapse

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has said the party will not take any major decision without consulting its incarcerated founder Imran Khan, arguing that reconciliation with the government cannot progress unless he is involved in the dialogue process.

Speaking at a press conference at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad alongside PTI lawyers, Raja said two rounds of negotiations with the government were held over the weekend but failed to produce an agreement.

He said PTI had approached the talks seriously and with the intention of finding a political solution through negotiations.

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Raja said the party had two key demands, the first of which was access to Imran Khan. He maintained that PTI had the right to consult its founder on important political matters but was currently being prevented from meeting him.

“Only Imran can bridge the gulf that has developed between the state and the nation,” Raja said, stressing that Imran Khan remained central to the party and that his views were needed on major decisions.

He said PTI had sought immediate access to Imran Khan for consultation and was prepared to put aside its other demands for that purpose. According to Raja, the government had assured the party that once an agreement was reached, lawyers and Imran Khan’s sisters would be allowed to meet him on Tuesday, with regular meetings to resume afterward.

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Raja said differences over how terrorism should be tackled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also contributed to the collapse of the negotiations.

He said PTI wanted the recommendations of a political jirga formed by the KP Assembly to be incorporated into the discussions, noting that representatives of political parties and other stakeholders had taken part in the jirga.

According to Raja, the jirga had put forward proposals for dealing with terrorism, while the PTI delegation also urged the government to take tribal leaders’ views into account.

He said PTI had proposed that any agreement should include a commitment to take a collective decision on counterterrorism measures in the province.

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Raja claimed the government, however, was reluctant to put a jointly agreed counterterrorism strategy into writing. He said PTI was being asked to support government actions against terrorism in KP, whereas the party wanted the policy to be based on consensus.

Raja said the two sides had made progress on a number of matters during lengthy discussions. He claimed Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi left the meeting several times and that several issues had been settled by around 8pm.

However, he said differences later emerged over PTI’s demand for access to Imran Khan’s personal doctors, with talks continuing until about 2am.

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The PTI secretary general said the two sides also discussed a 72-hour period for implementing any agreement. He added that progress had been made on the issue of prisoners, including proposals concerning the release of elderly and female inmates.

Raja said the progress made during the negotiations had raised hopes that an agreement was within reach. He maintained that the talks eventually collapsed over access to Imran Khan’s doctors and differences regarding a counterterrorism policy for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said PTI wanted the political jirga’s recommendations to be given due consideration, arguing that rejecting them would not be a prudent course.

Raja added that the party would produce documents from the peace jirga bearing the signatures of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Awami National Party and other political parties.

He said PTI continued to favour resolving political differences through dialogue rather than confrontation. According to Raja, the two sides had been close to settling their differences before the situation changed.

He claimed the government committee eventually refused to allow access to Imran Khan’s personal doctors and declined to work towards a mutually agreed strategy on counterterrorism.

Raja said PTI would continue its political struggle and support KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who is leading the long march. He maintained that decisions concerning Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should be made after consulting all relevant stakeholders.

The government-opposition negotiations held on Friday and Saturday ended without an agreement, with access to Imran Khan and the counterterrorism approach in KP emerging as the two main areas of disagreement.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi later held KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi responsible for the breakdown, claiming that he had altered the agreement.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, meanwhile, said PTI representatives had taken part in the negotiations but were unwilling to abandon what he described as their “double standards and hypocrisy.”

Separately, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam said the government delegation had proposed that both sides should adopt a common position on terrorism.

Following the collapse of the talks, PTI went ahead with its protest march on Sunday despite warnings from the federal government. The government had warned of possible action against the PTI-led KP administration, including governor’s rule or an emergency, if the march proceeded.

Speaking to the media at the Islamabad High Court, Imran Khan’s lawyer Barrister Salman Safdar said Supreme Court judgments had not been implemented and claimed that several Islamabad High Court rulings had also not been followed.

Safdar said reaching the Islamabad High Court had become extremely difficult and called on the court’s fixation branch to schedule the case, particularly in view of the prevailing political tensions.

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