The president of the National Assembly, Ayaz Sadiq, said on Tuesday that a visiting delegation of American legislators had not mentioned the founding president of Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan during his recent commitments in Islamabad.
In a statement, Sadiq said that the Delegation of Congress, which held a series of meetings with government officials and politicians outside the 2025 Pakistan Minerals Forum, made it clear that they had no interest or role in the internal political affairs of Pakistan.
His comments came in response to the president of the PTI, the lawyer Gohar Ali Khan, who alleged that the leaders of his party were deliberately excluded from the official interactions with the delegation. Gohar said that he was not notified from any meeting and that he did not receive a formal or informal invitation.
Rejecting the claim, Sadiq said that Gohar and the head of PTI Whip Amir Dogar were invited to an organized dinner for the United States delegation, but decided not to attend. “It was an opportunity for PTI leaders to talk directly with the Americans, the same people who often appeal to obtain support,” he said.
The speaker said that other PTI leaders, including Atif Khan and Dr. Amjad, participated in the meeting and then confirmed that no discussions were held regarding the legal situation of Imran Khan or his possible release.
Atif Khan said he did not know if Gohar or other high -ranking PTI figures had received invitations, and added that representatives of several political parties and federal ministers attended.
Sadiq also said that the leaders of the ruling partner of the Coalition, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), had used the meeting to raise concerns about the problems related to the Sindh and Punjab channel. “Thirty people talked about the channels, but the opposition lost its opportunity to bring its points,” he added.
The speaker said that when the PPP presented a resolution on the issue in Parliament, he had reminded them that he had already been discussed, and the Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar had issued a statement addressing the matter.
Sadiq criticized the management of parliamentary procedures by the opposition, stating that the legislation was being delayed due to the lack of quorum and not assistance.
“Production orders were issued, prisons were declared as sub-phrases, and all procedures were documented and available online,” he said.
Reiterating his commitment to dialogue, Sadiq shared that he was in contact with the head of the Baluchistan-Mengal National Party (BNP-M), Akhtar Mengal and Jamiat Ulema-E-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Mauulana Fazlur Rehman, to explore ways to improve cooperation. “I believe in interacting with the opposition, but no one can be forced to talk,” he added.
He said that a decision had also been made that no legislator would be allowed to point out the quorum during the time of the question, warning that if a motion of non -confidence was attempted, he could destabilize the opposition itself.
Meanwhile, the opposition leader of PTI’s Senate, Syed Shibli Faraz, criticized Sadiq for excluding the heads of opposition parties in both Chambers of Parliament, while allowing other members to join the meetings.
