Imran Khan for holding talks within constitutional ambit

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan said Saturday that he would stay within the constitutional limits when it comes to holding talks, days after he proposed negotiations with the military.

Speaking to reporters inside Adiala Jail, Khan said: "I will hold talks while staying within the Constitution".

The former prime minister's remarks come against the backdrop of his willingness to hold negotiations with the military where he has even called on the latter to nominate a representative to hold parleys.

"We are ready to hold talks with the military. The army should nominate their representative [for negotiations]," Khan had said during a case hearing in the Adiala facility earlier this week.

The former ruling party's founder and other senior leaders including the likes of Shah Mahmood Qureshi and a large number of workers, have been embroiled in various cases related to the May 9 riots triggered after Khan's arrest in a graft case last year.

The riots saw military installations including Rawalpindi's General Headquarters (GHQ), Lahore's Corps Commander's House and others being vandalised by mobs which was followed by a nationwide crackdown against the PTI.

Since then, the ex-PM has multiple times expressed willingness to prefer to hold talks with the military over the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led incumbent government.

The PTI founder's move has garnered a strong response from the government which has accused Khan of trying to "politicise" the military and has also offered the party to come to the table.

The party also faces a potential ban, which, as per Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal will be implemented once the institutions decide on it.

"The PTI should review their behaviour and seek apology from the [state] institutions and the masses [and then] maybe a way forward can emerge for them," the minister noted, adding that the incarcerated premier was inviting the military to intervene in politics while simultaneously claiming to be advocating for civilian supremacy.

'Vote ko izzat do biggest U-turn'

Continuing on the prospects of negotiations, Khan reiterated the party's longtime demand for their allegedly stolen mandate to be returned.

"First and foremost, our mandate should be given back to us," he said adding that how can he talk with the incumbent government which will collapse if even the electoral results of four constituencies are opened and looked into?

Responding to a question that Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chairman and Tehreek-e-Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai has allegedly refused to talk with the army, the PTI founder clarified that he has, in fact, asked the veteran politician to negotiate with political parties.

"Achakzai will only [hold] talk with political parties," he said.

When asked if he was taking a U-turn on his earlier statement where he took Achakzai's name for talks with the military, the PTI founder took a jibe at the PML-N for going back on its "vote ko izzat do" narrative for restoring the sanctity of the people's vote.

The biggest U-turn taken by a person is the one who demanded respect for the vote but instead, himself gave respect to the "boot".

On a question regarding the reason behind the termination of Sher Afzal Marwat's party membership, the former prime minister initially gave no response.

However, when pressed on the matter, he said that he would discuss the issue at some other time.

It is to be noted that the former ruling party, on Friday, decided to cancel the basic party membership of Sher Afzal Marwat for "gross violation/ breach" of discipline.

However, the PTI leadership has been at odds over the matter with Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan, terming the notification "fake", whereas Naeem Panjutha has in fact affirmed it instead.