Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Irfan Siddiqui has criticized Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan’s recent remarks on the meeting with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir questioning the credibility of what he called “backdoor negotiations”.
Sharing what he knew about the discussions and their details, Senator Siddiqui argued that negotiations cannot succeed through “multiple doors,” Express News reported.
He suggested that the PTI should formally recognize the talks and reconsider its approach.
The PML-N lawmaker said the PTI should focus on a single negotiation channel instead of seeking multiple entry points in the political process.
His comments came after Barrister Gohar confirmed that he, along with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, had met Army Chief General Asim Munir. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan had reportedly welcomed the meeting and called it a positive step.
Speaking outside the Adiala Jail, Barrister Gohar said the talks were aimed at ensuring political stability in Pakistan. He insisted that all meetings he attends are under Khan’s instructions.
He further stated that PTI had always been open for dialogue but the other side had kept the doors closed. Now that the negotiations had begun and were progressing, he saw it as a beneficial step for the country’s stability. He also reiterated PTI’s two key demands: the formation of a judicial commission and an inquiry into two specific incidents.
The PTI chairman confirmed that he and Ali Amin Gandapur had met the army chief and stated that the meeting took place in Peshawar where they presented their entire case to him.
Barrister Gohar Ali Khan described direct negotiations with the establishment as a positive step, adding that there had been a constructive response from the other side.
He concluded that the initiation of negotiations was a welcome step and that all PTI’s demands had been formally presented.
The meeting came a day before Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were convicted and sentenced to 14 and seven years respectively, as an accountability court in Rawalpindi’s Adiala prison announced its reserved judgment in the £190m case after earlier delaying the case . ruling three times.
