No response to PTI’s call for meeting with Imran: Omar

ISLAMABAD: Senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub has said that the PTI had called for a meeting with its founder chairman in the absence of institutional interference during the second round of talks with the government committee.

Speaking at a joint news conference alongside other senior party leaders, including PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Secretary General Salman Akram Raja on Tuesday, Omar Ayub said, “We had categorically demanded in the second round of negotiations that a meeting should be held with the party’s founding chairman in an environment free from institutional interference.”

He regretted that, to date, no response has been received from the government, despite the founding chairman forming a negotiation committee on December 5.

Ayub alleged pervasive interference by institutions and reiterated PTI’s demand for the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the incidents of May 9 and November 26.

He emphasised, “The government’s seriousness about negotiations will be proven by accepting our demands. The PTI founder should be allowed to meet in an open and transparent environment.”

Highlighting the country’s challenges, he said, “There is an atmosphere of chaos, unemployment is on the rise, and two million youth have left the country in the last two years. The economy is in shambles, with zero growth. Transparent elections are the only solution to the country’s problems.”

Barrister Gohar Ali Khan stressed that the negotiations were not for a deal but for the betterment of the country and its people. However, he lamented, “The list of grievances is long. Our people were stopped, elections were manipulated, victories were turned into defeats, decisions on cases were delayed, bullets were fired at our workers, and 13 of them were martyred.”

He reiterated that the PTI founder had outlined two key demands for negotiations: the release of prisoners and the formation of a judicial commission on the incidents of May 9 and November 26.

Gohar said that the third meeting would only take place after a meeting with the PTI founder, and the speaker had agreed to this arrangement.

“We have reopened the door to dialogue after a long time. The talks should proceed and succeed, whether the points are in written form or not. Such issues should not hinder progress.”

He also said that the civil disobedience movement continues, including an appeal to overseas Pakistanis to limit remittances. Opposition Leader in the Senate Syed Shibli Faraz expressed concern over delays in the Al-Qadir Trust case, calling for an immediate decision. He claimed the case against the PTI founder was politically motivated, stating, “Our party is not begging for release. Sentences are being handed down in violation of the law and the Constitution. Such actions will not bring stability to the country. The largest political party is being cornered.”

PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, who met with the PTI founder on Monday, quoted him as saying that all prisoners should be released and that he stands firmly with his workers.

Raja said that the PTI founder believes a significant gap has been created between the state and the people.

He pledged that the PTI would continue to pursue justice despite oppressive circumstances. “We have joined the negotiation process to guide the state toward welfare, but we do not see the same intent from the other side. We will not back down on the formation of the November 26 commission or the February 8 robbery incident. If such events are repeated, it will spell disaster for the country.”

Salman Akram Raja also defended the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi in the Al-Qadir Trust case, asserting, “There has been no personal gain for them. These facts are evident to the entire world. We are simply asking for our right to a fair trial, which we are not receiving in Pakistan.”