Senator Siddiqui says PTI only interested in Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Citing the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI)'s desire to hold talks with the military establishment, Senator Irfan Siddiqui Monday said the political party was only interested in Imran Khan and not the country and they are “knocking on a door from where they could get charity (only)”.

Speaking during Geo News programme "Geo Pakistan", the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senator said former prime minister Imran Khan did not want to hold negotiations with politicians. The incarcerated PTI founder did not even shake hands with the opposition when he was in the government, he said.

Siddiqui said he presented the offer of talks to the PTI in the Senate too as he often went and sat down with the PTI leaders in the parliament lobby. 

Giving an example of the bitterness between the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and PML-N in the past, the senator said both parties overcame their differences and held talks.

At this, PTI leader Waleed Iqbal, who appeared on the same show, said dialogue could be held with those wielding real powers only and they had placed no condition on the negotiations with them. However, he said, the PTI founder had said that "there will be no talks with the PPP, PML-N and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P)".

During the show, Siddiqui said PTI did not want to talk about Pakistan, they only wanted to talk about Khan.

“We want to talk about a constitutional system and not about a person. Imran Khan’s priority is the Constitution and law,” Iqbal responded.

He said the ongoing crisis needed to be taken seriously. They would continue to hold demonstrations until PTI’s mandate was accepted, he said.

Last week, former president Dr Arif Alvi, while responding to questions regarding talks with the establishment had said the PTI founder would prefer jail over deal.

Addressing a press conference while flanked by Alvi outside the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan on May 9 said: “The PTI founder has assigned important responsibility to Arif Alvi [during his maiden meeting with Khan after leaving the Presidency].”

Alvi had been making efforts to bridge the gap between the establishment and the former ruling party, Ayub said.

For his part, the former president said: “The PTI founder is ready to render [more] sacrifices [for the country]”

Without disclosing the nature of the “important responsibility” the PTI leader said: “I have received instructions from the PTI founder.”

Alvi emphasised the need for an impartial investigation into the May 9 incidents.

“The oppressor should seek forgiveness. Forgiveness is the only answer to all disputes. Those having real powers should initiate the dialogue process,” he had reiterated in response to the military’s demand for an apology for May 9 violence.

Earlier on May 7, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry asked "those involved in the May 9 violent protests to apologise" and shun politics of “anarchy” before holding any dialogue.