PM’s aide rules out deal, says there has been no deal with Imran Khan by government or establishment
The prime minister’s political affairs adviser Rana Sanaullah on Thursday strongly denied that he had offered any deal to former prime minister Imran Khan or his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, claiming instead that the PTI founder had agreed in November 2024 to apologize for the May 9, 2023 but later rebellion.
His remarks came a day after he said attempts were being made to find a solution but Imran was not willing to accept “any deal”. “He is not ready for any deal,” Sanaullah told a private news channel. “Two serious efforts were made, but not only did he refuse, but his demands were such that the present government could not meet them.”
Read: Attaullah Tarar denies any government ‘deal’ with Imran Khan
Earlier today, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar also dismissed media reports suggesting any “deal” between the government and the jailed PTI founder.
Speaking in an interview on the program ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ on a private news channel, Sanaullah said that his earlier statement had been taken out of context. He urged people to look at his full remarks, in which he had clearly said there would be no deal.
“There has been no deal with Imran Khan from the government, nor will there be. The establishment has neither ever offered him a deal nor will it ever,” he said.
Asked what Imran had accepted during another round of efforts involving people from abroad who met PTI, Sanaullah claimed that the former prime minister had agreed to apologize over the May 9 incidents but later backed down.
Read more: Vawda calls Imran deal offers ‘figure of Rana Sanaullah’s imagination’
“He had basically agreed to express regret or apologize for the events of May 9. DG ISPR had also clearly stated a year ago that the first step in this matter should be a sincere expression of regret and apology over May 9, after which other matters could be considered,” he said, adding that he had no evidence to support the allegation.
Sanaullah clarified that no “give and take deal” was offered by either the government or the establishment.
But the prime minister’s aide added that when the PTI besieged Islamabad in November 2024, a discussion took place at that time but no agreement was reached.
Referring to the ongoing issue of jail meetings, Sanaullah said PTI’s second-tier leadership had been told that if such meetings were not used for anti-government narratives, criticism of below-the-belt institutions or press conferences outside the jail, then there would be no problem in allowing them. He questioned whether accepting such terms could be termed an “agreement”.
Sanaullah said the government’s offer was clear and open, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had invited all parties to come forward for a “Pakistan Stability Charter” so that all stakeholders could sit together to strengthen the country.
He said that Imran, because of his “stubbornness and rigidity”, was not ready for dialogue. He also claimed that opposition leaders Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Mehmood Khan Achakzai were not given any authority to negotiate.
Also read: November 2024 protest was a missed opportunity to secure Imran’s release, says Rana Sanaullah
“The claim that he has authorized Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Raja Nasir Abbas is meaningless. They have no authority. Imran is not ready for political dialogue or to sit with political parties; it is simply not his politics,” he added.
Sanaullah said he himself had asked Achakzai to arrange a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz, but the opposition leader had declined, saying he would inform him after seeking “permission” from the PTI founder.
He added that the Prime Minister as the Leader of the House had no problem meeting Achakzai, stating that in a parliamentary democratic system it was not possible for the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition to have any contact with each other.
