PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Friday denied the government’s proposal to transfer party founder Imran Khan from Adiala Jail to Bani Gala or other location as talks continue to lower political temperature did.
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 set up 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.
Barrister Gohar addressed the issue today in an interview on Dawn News TV program Dusra Rukh, saying Imran “categorically stated that his imprisonment was illegal and rejected all offers to transfer him elsewhere.” “He said,” he said.
“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 negotiations. 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, the possibility of that happening is 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.”
More to come.
