Offer for dialogue with PTI still stands: Khawaja Asif

SIALKOT: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday said that the federal government’s offer for dialogues with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) still stands.

His remarks came days before the former ruling party’s planned nationwide protests for the release of incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan, judicial protection, rule of law, and the return of the PTI’s "stolen mandate".

"From our side, dialogue offer to PTI still intact," said the defence minister during his interaction with journalists in Sialkot today.

Last week, the incarcerated PTI founder called on his supporters to march to Islamabad on November 24. "Imran Khan says this is the final call for a [anti-government] protest. The PTI founder has stressed that the party's entire leadership will be part of the march," said his lawyer Faisal Chaudhry following a meeting in Adiala Jail.

Khan has been behind bars since August last year after he was sentenced in the Toshakhana case and subsequently sentenced in other cases.

Referring to the former ruling party’s recent protest marches towards Islamabad, Asif said that the PTI, under the leadership of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, “attacked” the federation twice.

The PTI held two protest rallies headed by KP firebrand CM in the federal capital in September and October amid riots and clashes with the police.

Mocking KP CM, the minister said: “CM Ali Amin Gandapur ran away and left protesting workers abandoned [in Islamabad].

In October march, the Gandapur went missing after entering the KP House in the federal capital. After a mysterious day-long disappearance, he resurfaced in the KP Assembly and addressed the lawmakers. His whereabouts remained unknown for over 30 hours after PTI tried to stage a protest in Islamabad.

In September, the CM had also went missing during the protests in Islamabad. This time he reached Peshawar after being "missing" for hours in the wake of the crackdown against the PTI leadership over alleged violation of law in relation to the party's rally in Islamabad, with sources saying that Gandapur was "busy in various meetings" in the federal capital after the party's power show.

Responding to a question, the minister said that the PTI leadership should bring their children to the protests if it was a matter of “do or die."

"PTI founder only wants dialogue with the establishment," said the defence minister, claiming that the leaders within the PTI were performing the role of “double agent”.