PTI rejects impression Imran seeking relief for himself in talks

ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf senior leader Syed Shibli Faraz Saturday said the solution to every problem is in negotiations, clarifying the founder of the party is not seeking any relief for himself in the talks.

He told a media conference here that the party supremo Imran Khan was in jail for his principled stand and for the people and insisted that holding protests was their constitutional right.

“The impression that the founder of PTI is seeking any relief for himself in the talks is wrong; he has been standing steadfast for 500 days,” he maintained, adding the centre of their struggle was within the Constitution and law.

Shibli said that his was a peaceful political party. Despite the difficulties, they were fighting the judicial battle in the court, and that whatever negotiations would be held, would be on the release of political prisoners. He alleged the government did not care about the people, as it was running on the dictates of IMF. “We condemn undemocratic thinking and reject fascist ideologies. The founder of PTI said that the negotiations will be on a principled stand. If the negotiations fail, the current government will be responsible,” he said.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub alleged that negotiations with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were proposed by former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa during a National Security Committee (NSC) meeting. “General Bajwa said every issue can be resolved through dialogue. It was discussed in the NSC that negotiations should be held with the TTP. This was not PTI’s decision,” he claimed. He criticised the government for its inability to curb fuel smuggling along the Afghan border and asked who was responsible for this massive smuggling.

Omar Ayub emphasized that revelations being widely covered by the media could not be hidden. “We live in the era of the internet...Information will find its way out, despite efforts to suppress it,” he contended.

He accused the federal government of financially neglecting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and said that the province had not received Rs1,500 billion owed to it. He claimed the KP had contributed Rs3.3 billion to its health card scheme, while Islamabad contributed nothing substantial in return. About the events of May 9 and November 26, he reiterated the demand for the establishment of a judicial commission for investigation. He contended that the military courts were not the answer. Judicial officers should not be handed a sheet of paper to read from and sentence individuals, claiming the convictions of detainees, including activist Hassan Niazi, would ultimately be overturned by high courts.