Imran Khan says 'never closed' door on talks with establishment

• Imran stresses need for unity between PTI, armed forces.
• Lauds armed forces for responding swiftly to Indian aggression.
• Raja says Imran ready to contribute towards national unity. 

RAWALPINDI: Incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has reiterated that he never closed the door on dialogue with the establishment, party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan confirmed on Tuesday.

Speaking to journalists after meeting the PTI founder at Adiala Jail, Gohar clarified that the former prime minister had previously refused talks only with the incumbent government, not the military establishment.

His remarks came amid media reports about Imran, who has been detained since August 2023, entering a deal with the government after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's invitation for talks.

Sources said that the cricketer-turned-politician also instructed Gohar to proceed, albeit with a condition to keep the process out of the media spotlight.

However, the development was rejected by Barrister Gohar and Imran's sister, Aleema Khan, with the former saying that “no deal has been made” with any quarters regarding the party’s incarcerated founder.

PTI Information Secretary PTI Shaikh Waqas Akram, when contacted by The News, said that presently there are no talks, including backchannel, between the PTI and the government or establishment.

To a question relating to Imran's reported willingness to meet any representative of the establishment in Adiala jail, Shaikh said that meetings in Adiala jail are not regulated by Imran.

Speaking to journalists today, Gohar said that PTI founder stressed the need for unity between the party and the Pakistan armed forces. “Imran said, ‘The army is mine, and the country is mine.’"

He further said that the former premier lauded the armed forces for responding decisively to Indian aggression, saying the retaliation uplifted the nation’s morale and dignity.

Gohar reiterated that the PTI had already denied rumours of supporting an in-house change. “We want the country to move towards unity,” he added.

According to PTI sources, the former ruling party was considering tabling no-confidence motions against PM Shehbaz Sharif and National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, in collaboration with opposition allies.

The sources further claimed that the PTI founder directed the party’s leadership and allied opposition parties to move ahead with planning the motion, giving them full authority to execute the strategy when the time was right.

However, the PTI chairman, a day earlier, dismissed the media reports as “baseless and fake”.

Meanwhile, today, Gohar also said that Imran believed that dialogue was necessary and had previously called for it. “He emphasised the importance of national solidarity,” he said.

For his part, senior lawyer Salman Akram Raja also spoke to the media after meeting the PTI founder and confirmed that he was in good health.

“Our meeting was very positive. He [the PTI founder] spoke at length about the importance of internal unity and national cohesion,” Raja said.

According to Raja, the PTI founder said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been defeated but might attempt another provocation.

“He [Imran] stressed that the nation must unite to face any external threats and also work collectively to fix the economy,” Raja said, adding that the PTI founder had expressed readiness to contribute towards national unity.

On questions regarding future protests, Raja said: “Peaceful protest is our democratic right, but no final decision has been taken yet.”