Prime Minister’s aide rules out a deal, saying the government or the establishment have not talked about any deal with Imran Khan.
The Prime Minister’s Political Affairs Advisor Rana Sanaullah on Thursday flatly denied having offered any kind of deal to former Prime Minister Imran Khan or his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, claiming instead that the PTI founder had agreed in November 2024 to apologize for the May 9, 2023 riots, but later backed out.
His comments came a day after he said attempts had been made to find a solution but Imran was not willing to accept “any deal”. “He is not ready for any deal,” Sanaullah had told a private news channel. “Two serious efforts were made, but not only did he refuse, but his demands were such that the current government could not meet them.”
Read: Attaullah Tarar denies any government ‘agreement’ with Imran Khan
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar today also dismissed media reports suggesting any “deal” between the government and the jailed founder of the PTI.
In an interview on a private media outlet’s ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ show, Sanaullah said his earlier statement had been taken out of context. He urged people to read his full comments, in which he had clearly stated that there would be no deal.
“There has been no talk of any deal with Imran Khan from the government, nor will there be one. The establishment has never offered him a deal nor will it,” he said.
Asked what Imran had agreed to during a second round of efforts, involving people from abroad who met the PTI, Sanaullah claimed that the former prime minister had agreed to apologize for the May 9 incidents, but then took a step back.
Read more: Vawda calls Imran deal ‘figment of Rana Sanaullah’s imagination’
“He had basically agreed to express regret or apologize for the events of May 9. The DG ISPR had also clearly stated a year ago that the first step in this matter should be a sincere expression of regret and apology for what happened on May 9, after which other matters could be considered,” he said, adding that he had no evidence to support the claim.
Sanaullah clarified that neither the government nor the establishment offered any “give and take deal.”
However, the prime minister’s aide added that when the PTI laid siege to Islamabad in November 2024, a discussion took place at that time but no agreement was reached.
Referring to the ongoing issue of prison meetings, Sanaullah said PTI’s second-tier leaders had been told that if such meetings were not used for anti-state narratives, surreptitious criticism of institutions or press conferences outside the jail, then there would be no problem in allowing them. He wondered whether accepting such terms could be classified as an “agreement.”
Sanaullah said the government’s offer was clear and open, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had invited all parties to come up with a “Pakistan Stability Charter” so that all stakeholders could sit together to strengthen the country.
He said Imran, due to his “stubbornness and rigidity”, was not ready for dialogue. He also claimed that opposition leaders Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Mehmood Khan Achakzai were not given any authority to negotiate.
Also read: November 2024 protest was a missed opportunity to secure Imran’s release, says Rana Sanaullah
“The claim that he has authorized Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Raja Nasir Abbas is meaningless. They have no authority. Imran is not ready for political dialogue or sitting with political parties; it is simply not his policy,” he added.
Sanaullah said he himself had asked Achakzai to arrange a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz, but the opposition leader refused, saying he would inform him after seeking “permission” from the PTI founder.
He added that as leader of the house, the prime minister had no problem meeting Achakzai, stating that in a parliamentary democratic system, it was not possible for the leader of the house and the leader of the opposition to have no contact with each other.
