RAWALPINDI:
PTI Chairman Advocate Gohar Ali Khan on Tuesday said that meaningful negotiations with the government could only move forward if a conducive political environment is created.
He said the simultaneous condemnations of PTI workers and calls for dialogue sent contradictory signals.
Speaking to the media after being detained by police near Dahgal checkpoint while on his way to Adiala jail, Gohar said there had been no progress in talks with the government despite Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s offer of dialogue from the National Assembly.
He said confidence-building measures were essential before negotiations could bear fruit.
“The Prime Minister has invited us to dialogue from the Assembly. We have also said that political issues must be resolved through political means, but the government has to create an environment for negotiations.”
“On the one hand, our people are being condemned and, on the other, there is talk of negotiations. This should not happen,” he lamented.
Commenting on the prison meetings, Gohar welcomed the decision to allow Bushra Bibi’s family to meet her. However, he expressed concern over restrictions on meetings with PTI founder Imran Khan.
“It is good that Bushra Bibi’s family has been allowed to meet her. Meetings should be held. Imran Khan’s family should also be allowed to meet him, but it has been 36 weeks and no meeting has taken place. This is a cause for concern,” he said.
Clarifying reports about last month’s protest at Chungi No. 26, Gohar said he had not conveyed any message about any gathering.
He said the family supported Imran Khan’s transfer to a hospital for treatment. He recalled that a meeting with Bushra Bibi had also been scheduled the previous week, but that it could not take place because his family did not arrive.
