Imran gives govt until 22nd to meet his demands

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has warned the government of launching a civil disobedience movement if his “legitimate demands” including the release of under-trial political prisoners and a judicial probe into May 9 events and Nov 26 crackdown on PTI protesters are not met by Sunday (Dec 22). “These are both legitimate demands, and if the government does not implement them by Sunday, the first phase of the civil disobedience movement, ‘boycott of remittances’, will be launched,” the ousted prime minister said in post on his official “X” handle.

The PTI founder had deferred the civil disobedience movement for a “few days” on the “PTI leaders’ request” against the backdrop of prevailing ambiguity surrounding the PTI-government dialogue which has been the talk of the town.

Giving details about the movement, Imran — in a post on his official X handle today — said that his party would urge the Pakistanis living abroad to “start the boycott of remittances”.

He also termed Nov 26 the “darkest day” in Pakistan’s history, alleging that on this day, unarmed people were shot at by snipers; young people were injured and martyred, and several individuals have been missing for three weeks, adding “It is the government’s responsibility to find the missing people. The government must answer: where are these people?” Imran also directed PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and the parliamentary party to raise their voices in the assembly for these individuals. “It is unacceptable that while blood is being shed in the country, the Parliament continues to function as usual,” he added.

He said that the PTI’s offer for negotiations was “ridiculed”, and it was made to look as if the party had surrendered. “The offer for talks and delaying the civil disobedience movement was made in the broader national interest.”

“If the government shows no interest, we will not force negotiations upon them. Our offer should never be seen as a sign of our weakness. If the government still wants to prevent the civil disobedience movement, they must contact us regarding our two demands or convince us that they are unconstitutional and cannot be addressed,” he added.

The PTI founder further said that he had invited the negotiation team for a meeting in jail. “Now, we will see whether the government allows them to meet with me or not.”

The negotiation committee comprises Opposition Leader Omar Ayub, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Asad Qaiser, Hamid Khan, Advocate Salman Akram Raja, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, and Hamid Raza Khan.He also accused the government of causing immense damage to the IT industry and other sectors, which is why the public is “disillusioned”.“The economy is in ruins, and the business class and capitalists are transferring their money abroad,” he claimed.

After the post on “X”, the meeting between Imran and his appointed negotiation committee faced a setback on Thursday when only two of the seven designated members arrived at the Adiala jail, according to jail sources. The legal team representing the PTI chairman formally sought permission from the jail administration to facilitate the meeting.

Of the negotiation committee, only Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Barrister Salman Akram Raja made their way to Adiala jail. The absence of the other five members remained unexplained. Speaking on Geo News programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath”, PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat stressed on taking the matter of talks between the government and the major opposition party to its logical conclusion. He said that the PTI has been tabling demands since its rights were violated, adding that no one could stop a party from placing demands.