ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Thursday urged the government to hold talks with the party ahead of its planned long march, saying he did not want protesters and law enforcement personnel to come face to face.
Talking to reporters, Gohar said the government should listen to the party’s grievances and seek a political solution rather than use force against those taking part in the peaceful march.
“When a major political party is going to hold a long march in such serious circumstances, there must be dialogue,” he said, urging the government not to use net launchers – non-lethal devices used to restrain targets with an entangling net – against political workers.
He said political disputes should be addressed through negotiations, justice and the resolution of grievances, rather than confrontation.
“Political people are not dealt with through net launchers. Their voices are heard, their grievances are addressed and they are given justice,” he said.
He called on the government to put aside what he described as an “ego” and find a way to maintain peace.
“We do not want the masses and law enforcement personnel to come face to face,” he said. “We are saying: listen to us. We are peaceful and are coming out for our rights and to raise our voice for justice.”
Gohar said PTI had repeatedly complained that its concerns were not being heard and that it had not received justice.
He rejected statements by government ministers suggesting the party’s plans could change, saying PTI had announced its programme well in advance and would stick to it.
On the political situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gohar said Sohail Afridi would remain chief minister and had the backing of Imran Khan and the party.
“Sohail Afridi is our chief minister and the great Imran Khan has full confidence in him,” he said. “He will remain the chief minister, Insha-Allah.”
Gohar also accused the federal government of imposing what he called an “undeclared governor’s rule” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying the province’s elected government, lawmakers and mandate should be respected.
He criticised the arrest of party MPAs and MNAs and the reported disappearance of a minister, describing politically motivated arrests and confrontations between rival political groups as unacceptable.
“Political people putting hands on each other’s collars must end,” he said, reiterating that PTI was committed to peaceful political activity.
Gohar also rejected what he described as government efforts to portray PTI’s planned movement as a threat to state institutions or Islamabad.
“We were peaceful, we are peaceful and we will remain peaceful,” he said, adding that PTI would not attack state institutions or the capital.
He warned that portraying a large political party as a security threat could result in attempts to remove it from the political arena, which he said could have serious consequences.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026