Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. Photo:
LAHORE:
The PTI has said it will move towards dialogue with the government only after ensuring a “level playing field” through sustained street protests. The opposition party rejected the idea of starting talks from “a position of weakness.”
The stance was outlined on Sunday by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja during a series of meetings in Lahore, where party leaders gathered to launch a new street movement on the directives of jailed party founder Imran Khan.
Speaking to reporters at a private residence, Afridi said reconciliation without resistance is not an option. “We will be lost if we engage in dialogue without resistance. The protest movement will continue until the rulers sit at the table after recognizing the opposition as an equal,” he said.
The TTAP, an alliance of opposition parties of which the PTI is the most important part, announced on December 21 to hold a lockout and jam strike on the second anniversary of the “highly rigged” general elections of February 8, 2024.
Concluding its two-day conference in Islamabad, the alliance also presented a charter of demands that included the release of all political prisoners, particularly PTI founder Imran Khan, and an independent probe into alleged manipulation of results after the February elections.
On December 23, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his government “remained committed” to its “principled stance” of peaceful dialogue with all political parties for national development, prosperity and political harmony.
On December 27, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, one of the key allies of the PML-N government, also stressed talks and offered the services of his father, President Asif Ali Zardari, to spearhead the political reconciliation process.
Addressing criticism that repeated protests had failed to achieve tangible results, the KP chief minister said the PTI would avoid big claims and focus instead on what he described as “practical work” aimed at producing results.
Raja echoed the position and said no political party could afford to enter a “dead end”.
He accused the government of trying to silence the PTI on issues it considers fundamental, including alleged electoral irregularities, the continued imprisonment of Imran Khan and institutional interference in politics and journalism.
“If they tell us not to talk about these issues, what room is there for politics?” -Raja asked. He said dialogue could only begin once basic principles were agreed, warning that otherwise the party would continue to mobilize supporters in the streets.
For now, the PTI leader said the path to negotiations lies through public mobilization, indicating that political tensions are likely to persist in the short term.
After the meeting, Afridi attempted to visit the families of jailed PTI leaders, including former Punjab governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema and lawyer Hassan Niazi.
He later told reporters that he was prevented from entering the Lahore Cantonment area, which he said had been declared a prohibited zone. “They told me they weren’t allowing me in,” Afridi said, questioning the restriction and demanding that the reasons be explained in writing.
Afridi challenges Maryam
CM Sohaib Afridi also challenged Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to hold a public rally in the KP, saying that Maryam should organize a rally in the KP while he would organize one in Punjab, “and then it would be clear who is calling to attract a larger public response.”
Afridi said Maryam should come to the KP, where she would be shown how a prime minister is received and respected in a democratic and civilized manner.
Launching an open challenge, the prime minister said he was even willing to give Maryam Nawaz a week to prepare. He said this would clearly show what the calling is that brings more people to the streets.
Afridi said that the PTI had won 180 seats in Punjab in the last general elections, which clearly showed that the people of Punjab had trusted the PTI and responded to the call of Imran Khan, and they were ready to do so even today.
The prime minister said those who had come to power through illegal means – referring to what he called a “Form 47 government” – had lost all connection with the public and were completely disconnected from the realities on the ground.
