PTI leaders vow to continue protests, want meaningful talks

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders on Tuesday vowed to continue the protest movement if the government didn’t take steps for meaningful negotiations.

A five-member negotiation committee, led by Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, is set to unveil the party’s strategy soon, with a warning that civil disobedience may be launched on December 14 if the government failed to engage in dialogue process seriously.

In an informal meeting of senior PTI leaders held in Peshawar, the party criticised the government for its handling of peaceful protests on November 26 and demanded the immediate formation of a judicial commission to investigate the D-Chowk incidents. “The commission must determine who ordered the firing and why,” said one of the leaders.

The meeting also condemned the filing of “false” cases against PTI leaders and workers, stating that such actions were designed to suppress political dissent. “We want to raise our case in Parliament, but the government is forcing our leaders and workers into endless court appearances,” said a leader.

Senator Shibli Faraz, former provincial minister Shaukat Yousafzai, MNAs Asif Khan and Muhammad Ahmad Ali Chattha attended the meeting. Shaukat Yousafzai, a senior PTI leader, criticised the federal government’s undemocratic actions, saying, “Labeling political workers as terrorists is a betrayal of democratic principles. While Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur is leading efforts to combat terrorism alongside the army and police, the federal ministers’ threat of imposing governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are baseless and provocative.”

He pointed to the provincial government’s efforts to ensure peace, citing the tribal grand jirga in Kurram as a key initiative to resolve regional issues. “If the federal government continues to show insincerity, PTI will have no choice but to escalate its movement,” Shaukat Yousafzai warned.