PTI demands ‘unfettered’ access to Imran, devoid of ‘monitoring’

The PTI demanded on Tuesday that the government allow unhindered access to party founder Imran Khan for meetings devoid of any surveillance amid ongoing talks to bring down the political temperature.

Since Imran’s incarceration last year in several cases, PTI’s relations with the government and the establishment have deteriorated sharply, marked by protests that frequently escalated into violence amid state repression.

Following the turmoil, Imran established a five-member committee to hold talks with “anyone”, signalling a shift in PTI lawmakers’ stance in parliament. In response, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also formed a committee with ruling coalition members.

The first meeting between the two sides took place on December 23, while the second one occurred on January 2. So far, the two sides have not made significant headway, as the PTI leadership sought frequent meetings with Imran to finalise their list of demands. The government and the opposition will meet again, possibly this week.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad today with other party leaders, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the party had “still not received any information about a meeting scheduled with Imran.”

He added that the negotiations should not be delayed in this manner.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan said, “We submitted a demand during our last meeting with the government to let us meet Imran Khan in an unmonitored and unfettered way, in which there is no monitoring of intelligence agencies.”

He said the present conditions of the room in Adiala Jail where meetings with Imran took place were “not conducive to free and open talks.”

“The government’s seriousness regarding the negotiations will be seen by enabling our meeting in an unrestricted environment by giving unfettered access to Imran because we will take our instructions from there.”

“Intelligence agencies interfere in the judicial process against our leaders’ and workers’ bail, from the Islamabad High Court to session courts or anti-terrorist courts, this is a factual position,” Ayub added.

He reiterated PTI’s demands for the release of under-trial political prisoners and the formation of a judicial commission to probe the events of May 9, 2023, and November 26.

The PTI leader concluded that the only solution to the country’s problems was free and fair elections and repeated the demand for unfettered access to Imran.

Barrister Gohar said that the party’s call for civil disobedience and limiting of remittances by overseas Pakistanis was still intact.

The dialogue between the two sides has not seen any significant headway so far. The major hurdles include the PTI negotiators’ lack of access to Imran and the PTI’s unwillingness to share its demands with the government in writing.

As it awaits a meeting with Imran to finalise its demands, the PTI has accused the federal government of being “non-serious” about talks with the opposition party, claiming that statements coming from certain ministers may put a damper on the dialogue process.