Lahore:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said on Sunday that Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan was willing to hold conversations with those who “hold true power” as the party formally launched a movement to restore democracy and secure Khan’s release.
Some key members of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led governments at the center as well as in Punjab immediately rejected the offer and said the PTI founder should have dialogue with political forces if he wanted it.
In a Lahore news conference with senior PTI leaders, Gandapur emphasized that former Prime Minister Imran Khan would only engage in dialogue with stakeholders who have the actual decision-making authority.
“Imran Khan has made it clear – dialogue will only happen to those who have the mandate,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if they [the establishment] Invite those who formed governments through form 47 to sit in the negotiations or not, ”he said.
Gandapur said that although the party had been active over the past two years, it was now on a structured 90-day nationwide campaign that would culminate in a larger milestone on August 5.
“This protest is not for political mileage – this is a struggle for people’s constitutional rights,” he said. “In August 5, we aim to take this movement to its peak. After that, we will decide whether we are continuing politics under the current conditions.”
Gandapur condemned what he described as a renewed “fascist crash” on PTI and its followers. He claimed that party workers were subjected to torture after the events on May 9, 2023, when authorities continued to suppress their constitutional right to protest.
The minister of the minister repeated the party’s position that there was no legal basis for the cases introduced against party founder Imran Khan. “The courts have not gone because there is nothing to continue with. Our leader is innocent,” Gandapur said.
In criticism of the role of state institutions, Gandapur accused them of overreaching and undermining democracy. He claimed that the state’s actions against PTI had struggled because of the rising public consciousness. “The nation proved on February 8 that it is fully aware of what is happening,” he added.
In a sharp reprimand of Jamat Disadvanta-e-Islam-Fazl (Jui-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who on Saturday said that any change in KP should come from the party, Gandapur Fazl challenged to compete in elections in his hometown of dera Ismail Khan against his brother, Faisal, and if he [Fazl] Won, he [Gandapur] would end policy.
Gandapur rejected claims of internal divisions within PTI and called them a constructed tale of weakening the party. “We may have discrepancies, but our mission is united – Imran Khan’s release and Pakistan’s restoration,” he said.
In the apartment, PTI General Salman Salman Akram Raja repeated this attitude and said the party’s unity in Lahore demonstrated unwavering support for Khan. “His release is not only the party’s goals – it’s the nation’s demand. 8 February will not be forgotten,” Raja said.
By completing the press conference, Gandapur renewed its offer of negotiations and called for “the recipients of the system” to come to the negotiating table. He warned that if dialogue did not take place in good faith, “any actor who is guilty of guilty will have to face the consequences – not just PTI.”
Reacting at Gandapur’s news conference, Federal Minister of State and Border Areas (Safron) Amir Muqam declared that those who always ran away from the negotiating table now, ironically, spoke of dialogue.
He dismissed Gandapur’s 90-day ultimatum as a mere theater. “Gandapur has no real authority. PTI’s 90-day campaign is only a tactic to save the provincial government, which is already threatened by internal dissent. Their campaign has failed even before it began,” he said.
“The nation has rejected their politics for sit-ins, long marches and violence. This is just desperate movements driven by their desire for power,” he said. “If Imran Khan is really looking for dialogue, he must first bow to the law, admit his mistakes and repent of the hate policy,” he added.
He said the people of KP demanded accountability for PTI’s 11-year-old rule in the province. “Gandapur should first answer the people of KP. You have seen development in Lahore – what have you done for your own province?” He asked.
When we talked to the media persons in Faisalabad, Prime Minister of Internal Talal Chaudhry claimed that the company did not want to be part of any political process and that if PTI wanted to give lectures, it must return to the negotiation process started by the National Assembly’s speech earlier this year.
When he spoke at a press conference in Lahore, Punjab Minister of Information Azma Bukhari said that political affairs were decided through dialogue between political leaders. “It’s a definite fact – you have to talk to the political people, and dialogue happens only among politicians,” she said.
The provincial minister criticized PTI and its founder, Imran Khan, and said, “We have seen many deadlines and calls for protest from Imran Khan. Has any protests actually come out on the streets?”
(With Input from Out Islamabad Correspondent)
