SCO summit: PML-N rejects PTI's condition to withdraw Oct 15 protest

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has dismissed the condition offered by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which the former ruling party had set out for calling off its October 15 protest, as it coincides with the highly-anticipated Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

The PML-N-led ruling coalition, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), had urged the PTI to re-evaluate its call for protest in the federal capital which will be hosting the high-level moot from October 15 to 16.

Speaking on Geo News programme "Naya Pakistan", PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram had said: "You can open the jail for a jalsa [...] then if you're so worried about the SCO, then allow a meeting with [Imran] Khan. If his sisters and doctors say that everything is fine after meeting him, then there'll be no protest."

Explaining that the meeting would take 10 to 15 minutes, he stressed that the party's leadership was worried about its founding chairman's health.

"You've made us incommunicado," he said, claiming that the authorities were not allowing meetings with the ex-prime minister.

The PTI spokesperson also dispelled reports that there were differences within the party leadership over holding the October 15 rally.

The News reported that PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, among others, opposed the rally, while Hammad Azhar, Salman Akram Raja, and others advocated for holding the protest.

Meanwhile, the party has also written a letter to the Ministry of Interior requesting a meeting to be scheduled with the former prime minister. "PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar and Hamid Raza should be allowed to meet the PTI founder."

The letter also mentioned that their last meeting with the PTI's founding chairman was on October 3.

'Effort to blackmail the government'

PML-N leader Talal Chaudhry, responding to the PTI's demand, said that Khan is the most privileged prisoner in history. He added that Khan is already having regular meetings, implying there is no restriction on his interactions.

Chaudhry further criticised PTI's narrative, stating: "They are using the SCO conference as an excuse."

He emphasised the significance of the event, saying: "The SCO conference is a major international event, with 200 delegations coming to Pakistan. This conference is not about any individual; it is directly tied to the country’s economy and future."

He also dismissed PTI's protest plans, accusing them of attempting to blackmail the state. "The call for protest is merely an effort to blackmail the government," Chaudhry said.

He highlighted that, despite being a prisoner, Khan is receiving VIP treatment. "Along with meetings, he is also enjoying special privileges. A VIP prisoner is getting VIP facilities," he claimed.

Concluding his statement, Chaudhry expressed doubt about PTI's ability to follow through on their protest threats. "They might think about protesting, but they won’t have the courage to actually do it," he said. He accused PTI of using the situation as a pretext to attack the SCO conference.