ISLAMABAD: The embattled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday demanded of the government to ensure the negotiating team’s meeting with its jailed founding chairman Imran Khan without any restriction and free from any surveillance by the infamous spy agencies.
Speaking at a presser, PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan along with secretary general Salman Akram Raja, Shibli Faraz and Omar Ayub, said that the party had not received any information still about a meeting scheduled with Imran Khan.
Expressing skepticism on the intention of the government, he said that the ongoing talks must not hit the snag as the party is sincerely pursuing it to reach an amicable solution to prevalent political crisis in the country.
Gohar said that the party’s call for civil disobedience and limiting of remittances by overseas Pakistanis was still intact as there has been no change in it.
Omar Ayub, who is the opposition leader in National Assembly, said that the party had submitted its demands during the last meeting with the government with a request to ensure the party’s negotiating teams’ meeting with Imran Khan in an “unmonitored and unfettered way”.
He elaborated that meeting with Imran Khan should not be monitored as this is what the party had requested the government during a meeting last week, but the meeting is yet to be arranged.
Referring to alleged monitoring of PTI leaders meeting with Imran Khan in jail, he said it point blank: the meeting with Imran Khan should be free from surveillance by the spy agency officials.
He said that the condition of the meeting room where PTI leaders get to meet Imran Khan is “not conducive to hold and a free discussion with our leader.”
He maintained that the intention of the government could be judged if it ensures the PTI negotiating teams meeting with the ex-prime minister in an unrestricted environment as the party will take its instructions from there.
“Intelligence agencies interfere in the judicial process against our leaders’ and workers’ bail, from the Islamabad High Court to session courts or anti-terrorist courts, this is a factual position,” he added.
Ayub reiterated PTI’s demands for the release of under-trial political prisoners and the formation of a judicial commission to probe the events of May 9, 2023 and November 26 mayhems.
He reiterated that the only solution to steer the country of the prevalent crisis is free and fair elections and repeated the demand for unfettered access to Imran Khan.
Referring to alleged monitoring of their jail meeting with Khan by the authorities, Shibli Faraz, the opposition leader in Senate said that they could not discuss matters openly due to the spy gadgets installed in the meeting room in the Central Jail, Rawalpindi.
“We should be allowed to meet Imran in a free atmosphere,” he added.
He urged the government to show sincerity in dialogue and provide justice to Khan and other supporters of the former ruling party who were facing cases and jail terms.
He clarified that PTI did not want to make any deal with anyone.
He said that their charge sheet against the government is very long, adding that his party was barred from election and their victory was turned into defeat via poll rigging.
He said that the talks should not be hindered due to petty issues such as presenting demands in writing, adding there should be negotiation whether PTI’s demands are in written form or not.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said that they would not forget the sacrifices of their workers and supporters.
He regretted that families of the slain party workers are still being threatened instead of taking action against those involved in November 26, 2024 massacre at D-Chowk.
He said that the party entered the negotiation with the government to reduce the gulf between the people and the state.
To a question about any deal with the government, he said that Khan has always been saying that he would be the last person to come out of the jail as he wants his workers and other leaders to be freed from the prisons.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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