Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Umar Ayub accused the government of not taking the negotiations seriously, claiming that authorities prevented the negotiation team from meeting former Prime Minister Imran Khan in jail. from Adiala.
Speaking to the media after appearing before an Islamabad district court, Ayub expressed frustration over the lack of access to Khan and stated that the government’s actions show no real intention to engage in meaningful dialogue.
Ayub noted that although Imran Khan had formed a negotiation team to start talks, the government had not allowed them to meet him in jail, making the efforts futile.
“No one should claim that talks were not attempted,” Ayub said, suggesting that the government’s refusal to provide access to Khan undermined any potential for dialogue. In addition, he emphasized that this was a deliberate measure by the government to prevent the progress of the negotiations.
The comments came after Ayub appeared in court for hearings in five separate cases against him, including charges of interference with government duties, threats and violations of Section 144. The court granted him interim bail in one case filed at the Police Department Police Station, while other cases were postponed pending police records.
Ayub was accompanied by his legal team, including renowned lawyers Babar Awan and Amina Ali. Despite the legal issues at hand, his comments on the political situation dominated media interactions, as he continued to push for a clear path to negotiations with the government.
Rana Sanaullah hints at progress in talks with PTI
Meanwhile, the prime minister’s assistant on political affairs, Rana Sanaullah, hinted at possible progress in negotiations with the opposition party.
During an interview on a local news channel on Friday, Sanaullah indicated that talks between the government and the PTI could move forward in the coming days, following National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq’s efforts to facilitate dialogue.
Imran Khan, in a post on the November 26 repression against PTI protesters.
He warned that if these demands were not met by Sunday, the PTI would begin the first phase of its civil disobedience movement, beginning with a “boycott of remittances.”
Sanaullah’s comments came amid an ongoing debate over the possibility of talks between the government and the PTI, which has dominated political discussions since Imran Khan formed a negotiation committee.
While reports emerged earlier this week of an agreement to use the parliamentary forum for dialogue, PTI’s Asad Qaiser denied that formal negotiations had taken place during his meeting with the Speaker of the National Assembly, which he clarified that it was for give condolences, not for conversations.
