Irfan Siddiqui dismisses rumours suggesting talks with Imran

ISLAMABAD: Parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the Senate and Chairman Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs Senator Irfan Siddiqui has dismissed rumors suggesting talks with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.

“There are no direct or backchannel talks with the PTI founder, and such reports are completely baseless,” Siddiqui said during a talk show on a private TV channel.

Siddiqui said the then PTI government had resorted to political victimisation and had misused state institutions by fabricating false charges against opponents.

Responding to a question, Senator Siddiqui said: “The cases against our leaders would begin and end in the Supreme Court—there was neither any opportunity for appeal nor were any arguments heard. The PML-N rejects such tactics. Unlike the PTI, we have neither imprisoned individuals unjustly nor resorted to draconian measures against political rivals.”

He said no individual could be granted special treatment outside judicial process, adding: “If exceptions are made for one, we must equally address the plight of 90,000 others languishing in prisons awaiting justice”.

The PML-N leader said the nation’s stability did not hinge on any single individual’s incarceration. “Our institutions remain functional, and the economy is on a recovery trajectory despite inherited challenges.”

Siddiqui said the PTI founder was removed from the office through the constitutional procedure of a no-confidence motion. “If PTI can manage to secure the required numbers, we will face it with grace and composure. We will uphold the Constitution and the law, and we will not take any unconstitutional steps,” he added.

Referencing to May 10, he said the PTI must abandon illusions of external rescue—whether by the IMF or foreign powers. “The Pakistan Army’s leadership retains its esteemed stature, undiminished by PTI’s smear campaigns,” he added.

On regional tensions, Senator Siddiqui condemned India’s policies in Kashmir, saying Narendra Modi’s government exposed India’s moral bankruptcy through systemic human rights violations.

He warned India to take military and diplomatic defeats as a lesson. “Any renewed aggression will meet a resolute response,” he added.

“Today’s Pakistan stands firmly on the pillars of sovereignty and democracy,” he said, adding: “As the PTI clings to fantasies of destabilisation, the nation marches forward with unity and purpose.”