PTI to raise Punjab farmers’ issue in assemblies

Senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders said on Thursday that currently the party was not engaged in any negotiations for a deal, but emphasised that they were ready to join hands with every party that was affected by the February 8 general election.

PTI leaders Asad Qaiser, Shibli Faraz, Raoof Hasan, Aun Abbas Bappi, Kanwal Shuzab and others spoke to the media after meeting with the party founder Imran Khan in the Adiala Central Jail in Rawalpindi. During the media talk, they stated that they discussed various issues with their leader.

“Our senior leadership had a detailed meeting with Imran Khan,” Qaiser told reporters. He said that the PTI founder expressed concern over the issue of farmers, “We are going to mobilise our Punjab chapter on this issue,” he said.

Bappi condemned the government's "mistreatment of farmers" and pledged to address the issue in courts and assemblies. He criticized the decision to permit wheat imports in October, alleging a fraudulent loss of Rs85 billion in the wheat sector.

Qaiser stated that Imran expressed concerns regarding the reported handover of bases to the US. "If these reports are accurate, we condemn them. We urge the Foreign Office to provide clarification. We reject terrorism within our borders [and] we should not participate in someone else’s war,” he added.

Regarding a statement of Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza regarding resignations, Qaiser said that it was his personal opinion. He emphasised that the PTI members were part of the SIC but they would take their own decisions.

Shibli Faraz stated that while the PTI founder had authorized negotiations, no progress had been made thus far. "There are currently no ongoing discussions for any deal," he clarified. "On February 8, the people's mandate was stolen. We urge the relevant institutions to return the PTI's mandate," he emphasized.

"He [the PTI founder] stands for the rights of 250 million people, and his spirits remain high. He has pledged to confront the charges against him. Meanwhile, our women have been incarcerated for a year," Faraz informed reporters.

Kanwal Shauzab appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to expedite the cases involving these women.

The PTI leaders slammed the jail administration for making them wait before their meeting with Imran. They said that they would move the relevant court against the jail administration. They also said that the month of June was very important for the PTI founder.