RAWALPINDI:
The PTI is not going to enter into negotiations with the government for an indefinite period. It has set January 31 of next year as the deadline for the process.
“The PTI is giving the government until the end of January to conclude the dialogue aimed at reducing political tensions. The party’s negotiating team will formally inform the government committee about this deadline at our meeting on January 2,” Sahibzada Hamid Raza said on Thursday.
Raza, spokesperson for the PTI negotiation team, spoke to the media after meeting party founder Imran Khan in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail along with Omar Ayub and Asad Qaiser.
According to Raza, Imran is ready to forgive all “atrocities” committed by the authorities. However, it has not withdrawn its appeal to overseas Pakistanis not to send remittances to the country.
The SIC chief, who is not officially a member of the PTI, reiterated the party’s demands that judicial commissions be formed to investigate the incidents of May 9, 2023 and November 26, 2024 and that all prisoners be released politicians, including PTI founder Imran Khan.
“We categorically reject responsibility for the events of May 9,” Raza said, demanding a judicial inquiry led by senior judges of the Supreme Court to establish accountability.
On May 9, 2023, violent protests broke out across the country when paramilitary Rangers arrested Imran Khan from the Islamabad High Court premises in connection with a corruption case.
He alleged that on November 26, authorities fired live rounds at PTI supporters organizing a protest march in Islamabad, resulting in 13 deaths, 64 gunshot wounds and between 150 and 200 people missing.
“This was an attack on the people and democracy,” Raza said, calling for a transparent investigation into the violence. It held government authorities responsible for ordering the alleged use of force against peaceful protesters.
Elaborating on the party’s second demand, he said that the PTI wants the release of all its workers and leaders, including Imran Khan. However, he clarified that Imran’s release should not be part of an agreement but a judicial process. “Imran Khan was acquitted by the courts, but the government initiated new cases,” he said.
Raza denounced the systematic victimization of the PTI, comparing it to the treatment given to political parties during the 1971 crisis. He alleged that PTI members had been subjected to torture and that their civil and human rights had been “suspended.”
Despite the persecution, Raza said, Imran Khan is ready to forgive violence directed against him and urged to resolve political grievances through constructive dialogue.
He claimed that PTI-backed candidates who emerged victorious in the February 8 elections faced obstacles in joining political parties registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan. To circumvent these challenges, Imran Khan aligned PTI-backed candidates with the SIC, which remains a key ally of the PTI.
He said Imran Khan expressed his confidence in all the legislators including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. The former prime minister also condemned the air strike inside Afghanistan and stated that Pakistan should resolve all issues with the neighboring country through dialogue.
