Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. Photo: X
LAHORE:
The PTI has said it will move towards dialogue with the government only after securing a “level playing field” through sustained street protests. The opposition party has rejected the idea of entering negotiations from “a position of weakness”.
The stance was outlined on Sunday by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja during a series of meetings in Lahore where party leaders gathered to launch a fresh street movement following the directives of jailed party founder Imran Khan.
Speaking to reporters at a private residence, Afridi said reconciliation without resistance is not an option. “We will be at a loss if we engage in dialogue without resistance. The protest movement will continue until those in power come to the table after recognizing the opposition as equals,” he said.
TTAP – an alliance of opposition parties, of which the PTI is the most significant part – announced on December 21 to stage a wheel stoppage and shutdown strike on the second anniversary of the “heavily rigged” general elections on February 8, 2024.
At the end of its two-day conference in Islamabad, the alliance also presented a demand for the release of all political prisoners, especially PTI founder Imran Khan, and an independent investigation into alleged manipulation of the results after the February elections.
On December 23, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his government “remained committed” to its “principled position” of peaceful dialogue with all political parties for national development, prosperity and political harmony.
On 27 December, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari – one of the PML-N government’s key allies – also emphasized talks while offering favors to his father, President Asif Ali Zardari, to spearhead the process of political reconciliation.
Amid criticism that repeated protests had failed to produce tangible results, the KP chief minister said the PTI would shun big claims and instead focus on what he described as “practical work” aimed at producing results.
Raja echoed the stance, saying no political party could afford to move into a “blind alley.”
He accused the government of trying to silence the PTI on issues it considers fundamental, including alleged election irregularities, the continued imprisonment of Imran Khan and institutional interference in politics and journalism.
“If we’re told not to talk about these issues, what room is there left for politics?” Raja asked. He said dialogue could only begin once basic principles had been agreed, and warned that the party would otherwise continue to mobilize supporters on the streets.
For now, the PTI leader said the path to talks is through public mobilization, signaling that political tensions are likely to continue in the short term.
After the meeting, Afridi attempted to visit the families of jailed PTI leaders, including former Punjab governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema and lawyer Hassan Niazi.
He later told reporters that he was prevented from entering the Lahore Cantonment area, which he said had been declared a no-go zone. “I was told I was not allowed to enter,” Afridi said, questioning the restriction and demanding that the reason be given in writing.
Afridi challenges Maryam
CM Sohaib Afridi also challenged Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to hold a public rally in KP, saying that Maryam should organize a rally in KP while he would organize one in Punjab, “and then it would be clear whose call gets a bigger public response”.
Afridi said Maryam should come to KP where she would be shown how a Chief Minister is received and respected in a democratic and civilized manner.
With an open challenge, the chief minister said he was even ready to give Maryam Nawaz a week to prepare. He said this would clearly show whose call brings more people to the streets.
Afridi said that PTI had won 180 seats from Punjab in the last general election which clearly proved that the people of Punjab had trusted PTI and responded to Imran Khan’s call and they were ready to do so even today.
The chief minister said those who had come to power through illegal means – referring to what he called a “Form 47 government” – had lost all touch with the public and were completely disconnected from ground reality.
