Jailed PTI founder puts forward three conditions for talks with govt

RAWALPINDI: Incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Saturday put forward three conditions to hold talks with the government in a bid to bring political stability in the country.

“The first condition is that my cases should be dismissed, the second is to release our party members and third is to return our mandate,” Khan said while having an informal talk with journalists in the courtroom.

Recalling that he held negotiations with former chief of army staff Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, the PTI founder said that they had formed a three-member committee consisting of Asad Umar, Pervez Khattak and Shah Mehmood Qureshi at that time. “We were told at that time that the ‘baray sahab’ has decided not to conduct elections,” said Khan, emphasizing that his party cannot forget the “February 8 robbery”, a reference to the alleged rigging in the polls.

Khan warned that they will go on a hunger strike and highlight it on a global level.

Welcoming the SC’s recent decision to allocate reserved seats to the PTI, Imran described it as a positive step that restored the public hope. “I thank Allah that the Supreme Court judges stood up for the rule of law, where the powerful are also held accountable,” he said. “The SC’s verdict has given hope to the people,” said Khan, thanking the top court’s judges for standing up for the supremacy of law.

Imran criticised the past judicial decisions, highlighting Justice Munir’s capitulation to power, and the denial of party symbols. Imran also addressed the current economic situation, predicting that next year’s budget would be harsher than the present one, with increased tax burdens on the public.

He called on the establishment to conduct fresh elections, expressing doubts over the utility of forming a government under current circumstances. Referring to the reserved seats verdict, Imran questioned if there was any point in coming into power now. He maintained, “The establishment must conduct clean and transparent elections. If we get reserved seats, we will not engage in any political maneuvering. The only way to save the country is through fair elections.” Commenting on internal party issues, Imran downplayed them as private matters.