- Aleema says deal offers have been made “from the beginning.”
- Marwat does not agree with the house arrest proposal put forward by Mohsin Naqvi.
- There had never been any talk of moving Imran to Bani Gala: Gohar.
ISLAMABAD: Amid uncertainty over the fate of the much-publicised talks between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the government, contradictions in PTI leaders’ statements regarding Imran’s alleged ‘house arrest offer Khan” have further complicated the process.
A report published in The news quoted PTI founder’s sister Aleema Khan as stating that the offer was made by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur; However, party leaders President Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Sher Afzal Marwat expressed different opinions on the matter.
While speaking to the media on Tuesday after meeting Imran at Adiala Jail, Aleema revealed that settlement offers have been made “from the beginning” but no direct contact has taken place.
He revealed that Imran was offered house arrest in Bani Gala and the proposal was made by Gandapur.
“My brother has been in prison for a year and a half. If he wanted to make a covert deal, he would have done it already,” Aleema said, asking why propose house arrest now after keeping Imran behind bars for so long.
He further stated that Imran was also asked to remain silent and avoid speaking.
Expressing skepticism about the intentions of those involved in the negotiations, Aleema stressed that the PTI founder has always made only two demands: the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the events of May 9 and the release of the prisoners.
“A judicial commission headed by a senior judge acceptable to all should be formed.”
Aleema expressed frustration at the lack of progress, adding that repeated calls for the formation of the commission and the release of prisoners have gone unanswered. He also criticized the authorities for not allowing the negotiating committee to meet the PTI founder.
Aleema highlighted the importance of judicial commissions in democracies governed by the rule of law and said Imran has always upheld these principles. He further alleged that individuals within the government’s negotiating team have “stolen our mandate.”
Commenting on the lack of transparency, Aleema commented: “Nothing is hidden from the ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence] not anymore. “Everyone is talking about agreements: some suggest a three-year silence agreement and others propose different terms.”
However, PTI leader and lawyer Marwat differed from Aleema and claimed that the proposal for Imran’s house arrest was made by the establishment and the government through Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi, but the offer was rejected.
He revealed that following the refusal, an alternative offer was proposed for the release of the PTI founder, either after three weeks or before December 20, conveyed again through Naqvi.
Marwat said the tragic incident on November 26 during the PTI’s “life and death protest” in Islamabad brought about a change of circumstances and led to the start of talks with political leaders.
He acknowledged that the establishment had previously maintained direct or indirect contact on occasions, but clarified that no clandestine negotiations had taken place since the November 26 incident.
According to Marwat, if Mohsin Naqvi had been included in the government’s negotiating team, the talks would have already been concluded, as Naqvi tends to show significant flexibility at the negotiating table.
On the other hand, PTI president Barrister Gohar expressed a completely different stance, saying that there had never been any discussion about transferring the PTI founder to Bani Gala.
In a telephonic conversation with PakGazette News, he emphasized that neither the government, Naqvi, nor the establishment entered into talks regarding the release, house arrest or transfer of the PTI founder at any time.
Gohar clarified that contact with the government was re-established shortly before November 26, but the negotiation process with Naqvi had not begun before that date.
The cricketer-turned-politician, 71, has been behind bars since August last year after being sentenced in the Toshakhana-I case, one of dozens of cases registered against the former prime minister since his ouster from power in April. of 2022. is a long-standing demand of his party
After months of political back-and-forth, the coalition government and the embattled PTI finally came to the table last month to ease tensions, with the Khan-founded party initially putting forward two initial demands: the release of the deposed prime minister along with all political prisoners and a judicial investigation into the events of May 9 and November 26.
During the two rounds of talks, held with NA president Ayaz Sadiq, the PTI negotiation team sought frequent meetings with the party founder to finalize the “charter of demands”.
Even though the PTI has been quite explicit about its key demands, the party did not share its demands with the governing committee in writing.
Currently, the ongoing negotiation process is facing a deadlock as the authorities concerned denied the PTI leaders permission to meet the PTI founder.
The main opposition party claimed that the Adiala jail authorities did not allow them to meet Khan, while the government cited the former ruling party’s inability to submit a written letter of demand, leading the National Assembly speaker to hesitate to call a third meeting, the sources added. .
