PESHAWAR:
PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan said his party is currently not holding substantive negotiations with the government, adding that the responsibility to move the process forward lies with those who have real authority.
“The PTI has authorized Mahmood Achakzai to represent the party in the dialogue efforts. Achakzai showed political maturity by shaking hands with the prime minister. If anyone considers this as our weakness, they are wrong,” Gohar said while talking to reporters on Wednesday.
Emphasizing that political disputes must be resolved politically, the PTI chief said that every public servant has the responsibility to seek solutions to national problems.
Gohar said the PTI was yet to take any decision regarding the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections and would announce its stand in the next two days.
He clarified that the party has not decided to boycott the AJK elections and described a notification circulating on social media about a boycott as “completely false.”
Gohar said the situation in Kashmir was extremely serious and described the region as the “jugular vein” of Pakistan. He said the PTI was closely monitoring developments and would take important decisions regarding Kashmir in the coming days.
He urged that political expediency be given a chance and said that if the people of Kashmir were protesting their grievances, their protests should remain peaceful. He also called on the government to avoid bloodshed.
Commenting on reports of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi being replaced by some other party legislator, he said Afridi was not being replaced and there was currently no candidate in the provincial assembly who could take over the post.
He said disgruntled PTI lawmakers had been invited to Islamabad for a meeting later in the day, where their concerns would be heard. “There is no forward bloc in the PTI,” he said, adding that the party remains united.
The PTI president complained that the party had been repeatedly deprived of its electoral symbol, stating that this had created serious difficulties in the elections held in Haripur, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.
Regarding the imprisonment of PTI founder Imran Khan, Advocate Gohar expressed serious concern over the restrictions on gatherings and medical facilities.
He claimed that even though 250 days had passed, no one had been allowed to meet the PTI founder in jail. He demanded that the meeting calendar be restored immediately. He also requested that Imran Khan receive medical treatment at a hospital of his family’s choice.
Commenting on the KP budget, Gohar said the provincial government had presented an excellent budget but had been forced to present a deficit budget due to financial constraints.
He accused the federal government of not providing the KP with its share under the National Finance Commission (NFC) award. He also criticized the imposition of taxes in the former regions of Fata and Pata, calling the decision inappropriate.
