PTI leader holds govt responsible for failure of talks

By Muhammad Danial Aziz
February 21, 2025
PTI general secretary Salman Akram Raja addresses a press conference in Lahore on October 31, 2024. — Screengrab via YouTube@GeoNews
PTI general secretary Salman Akram Raja addresses a press conference in Lahore on October 31, 2024. — Screengrab via YouTube@GeoNews

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) general secretary Salman Akram Raja on Thursday said that the government had no authority and was only interested in photo sessions, which led to the failure of negotiations between the two sides.

“If they couldn’t even arrange a single meeting with the PTI founder, then what negotiations could they have? Our demand was that the meeting should take place in an open environment. When they were incapable of even arranging that, how could we move forward with them?,” he questioned while talking to the Geo News.

The PTI leader said that they had demanded a judicial commission to conduct an impartial probe into the events of May 9 and November 26. “Instead of engaging in serious discussions, they made mockery and humiliated us in the name of negotiations,” he added.

He said they (government) couldn’t face the truth and did not respond to their charter of demands. Instead of fulfilling demands, he said the rulers orchestrated an attack on Hamid Raza’s seminary. Salman Akram Raja said that it was clear that the government was using the negotiation process merely as a photo opportunity. He said that going there, holding sessions and everything was useless, so they did not proceed further.

He said the PTI founder did not write a letter only to the Army Chief; it was an open letter. He said that while the Army Chief was addressed, but every citizen was also a recipient.He said the letter was written to end oppression and fascism. “The letter was received by those to whom it was intended, and those who needed to read it have read it,” he revealed.