Imran ready to sit with politicians: Umar

Says PTI chief green lights All Parties Conference participation

LAHORE:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Asad Umar on Wednesday said that the party Chairman Imran Khan was ready to “negotiate” with political parties in a bid to move ahead and seek a political solution to the current crisis.

Speaking to a private news channel in Islamabad, the general secretary said that his party chief demanded an undertaking from the government as well.

Terming the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) "a group of thieves,” the PTI chief, a day earlier, gave green light to participating in political processes including All Parties Conference (APC).

Reflecting on the Supreme Court’s ruling on PTI’s plea against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for delaying elections, Umar said that Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial had stressed the importance of consensus of all political parties.

Read more: 'Won't need crutches': Imran hopes for heavy mandate in next elections

“The chief justice is talking about a free environment. It is his positive view to unite everyone,” he said.

“The chief justice is not a politician; his job is to enforce the Constitution,” the PTI leader said.

He added that the PTI's government was ousted on the decision of the same chief justice.

“Earlier, he [PM Shehbaz Sharif] wanted us to dissolve the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) assemblies for election. We dissolved both the assemblies and now he refuses to hold elections,” Umar said.

“Now that the PTI chairman is ready to negotiate for the sake of stability and transparent polls in the country,” Asad Umar said, adding: “PM Shehbaz is asking him to apologise”.

In a fiery parliament address, PM Shehbaz earlier said talks between the government and PTI chairman would only be possible if the former premier admitted his "wrongdoings" and apologised to people.

“Mian sahab knows that the nation is against their narrative and no one is ready to trust what they are saying after how their lives have become difficult in the last one year,” Umar cited this to be the reason why the prime minister was giving such statements.