The government and PTI on Friday denied an alleged offer to transfer former Prime Minister Imran Khan from Adiala prison to Bani Gala or other locations as talks continue to lower the political temperature.
Since Imran was jailed in several cases last year, relations between the PTI and the government and ruling class have sharply deteriorated, with protests frequently escalating to violence amid a state crackdown.
After the unrest, Imran set up a five-member committee to consult with “anyone”, signaling a change in the stance of PTI members in parliament. In response, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif established a committee made up of members of the ruling coalition.
The first meeting between the two sides took place on December 23rd, and the second one yesterday (January 2nd). So far, the two sides have not made much progress as the PTI leadership has sought frequent talks with Imran to finalize the list of demands. The government and opposition are expected to meet again, likely next week.
In this scenario, PTI’s lawyer Faisal Chaudhry claimed that Imran had said that he was offered a deal to shift to a residence in Bani Gala. Rumors about the alleged development are also being spread in the media. Imran’s sister Aleema Khan similarly said last month that she had rejected an offer of house arrest in Bani Gala.
Raising the issue in an interview on Dawn News’ TV program ‘Dusra Rukh’ today, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that Imran believed his imprisonment was illegal and that he was not eligible for transfer elsewhere. He said he had “categorically stated” that he would reject all offers.
“Mr Khan Sahib has not compromised on that. We have not received any offer to move him and we will not consider it.”
Apparently referring to talks with the regime, Gohar said that before the Nov. 26 protests in Islamabad, “good contacts were established, but nothing since then.” Although there was a time, he said there was no backdoor contact with the party.
He clarified that in the aforementioned cases, the mere establishment of contact meant that both sides were moving in a “positive direction” and did not mean that negotiations had begun.
“The only negotiations that are going on are the current ones. We have no back channels, this committee of ours is doing the negotiations,” he said, referring to the team set up to consult with the government. did.
“It’s never too late to discuss issues in politics,” Gohar said.
Asked about the stalling of progress in the previous contact, Gohar said Imran’s overnight arrest in a separate case, despite being granted bail, had “contributed” to the issue. ” he said.
He said the PTI is “back to square one, so if this committee can move forward, it will be successful.”
Asked about Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Rana Sanaullah’s remarks about leaders of the three major political parties sitting at the table, the PTI chairman said it was an “ideal situation” but that it was due to “deep-rooted political differences”. Therefore, he said that the possibility of that happening was low.
“Maybe one day we’ll all have a seat at the table,” Gohar said. “However, that possibility has been ruled out at this time. For now, we would like the committee to focus on the ongoing negotiations.”
Meanwhile, PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui, in an interview on Dawn News TV program ‘In Focus’, was asked about the government’s ‘proposal’ to PTI and said that nothing had been presented.
Asked about the purported Bani Gala proposal, Siddiqui said it should be asked of Imran himself, adding that no member of the government’s negotiating team could make such a proposal or make such a statement in their personal capacity. He added that no one had done so.
He said nothing like that came up in two meetings between the government and PTI. “As far as I know, there has been no such offer from the government or any quarter,” Siddiqui added.
The PML-N senator said Imran should provide evidence of his claims.
