No point in talking to a ‘toothless govt’: Imran

RAWALPINDI:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan said on Friday that negotiating with the current government was pointless as it lacked authority.

The statement came during an informal media briefing at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, where Khan is attending the hearing of the £190 million reference case.

Imran accused the administration of coercing judges who deliver rulings favourable to PTI and condemned the recent budget for imposing heavy burdens on salaried individuals.

He alleged that a Sargodha judge informed the Lahore High Court (LHC) about pressure from intelligence agencies, including the disruption of his household gas supply, and noted that judges sympathetic to PTI face significant pressure.

“Journalists supportive of PTI are being targeted; Raoof Hassan was attacked, and Ali Zaman was tortured,” he claimed, attributing these actions to intelligence agencies.

The PTI founder called on Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa to uphold the rule of law in the face of such interferences. He praised the integrity of a Sargodha judge, six judges from the Islamabad High Court (IHC), and three judges from the Supreme Court.

Addressing the nation’s budget, the former prime minister stressed that Pakistan needs to generate Rs13 trillion in revenue, with Rs9.8 trillion earmarked for debt interest payments.

He projected a need to borrow Rs7.5 trillion to cover the budget deficit, warning that the country is already in dire straits. “Investment, which hinges on the rule of law, is the only salvation, yet this year saw the lowest investment in 50 years,” he stated.

Imran warned that the country’s future looked bleak and criticized the additional tax burden on salaried individuals. He refuted claims that PTI avoids negotiations, recounting past dialogues during Pervez Musharraf’s regime but pointed out that negotiations are futile when decisions are made by “higher authorities.”

He recalled an instance when PTI negotiated with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) at the request of ex-Chief Justice Bandial, only to be told that no elections would occur as long as Bandial was in office.

In a stern message to his party, Imran demanded an end to internal groupings, calling it a matter of life and death for Pakistan. “I will take strict action against anyone creating factions within the party,” he warned.

When questioned by a journalist about whether he wanted the establishment to appoint a representative for negotiations, Imran reiterated his stance on the futility of negotiating with a government lacking real power.

Meanwhile, addressing a news conference in Islamabad with Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, Raoof Hasan said: “Regarding a controversy on the media that the PTI is moving to have negotiations with three political parties that are mandate usurpers, Imran has clearly told us that there is no situation like this.”

He said Imran had asked for the three parties to first bring and show their “letter of authorisation from their sponsors and patrons” about whether they actually had any authority to negotiate with the PTI and if they would be able to deliver on any promises to the party.

“Our contention since the first day is that they have nothing and they’re only mummies and dummies whose strings are controlled from elsewhere and they dance according to them.”

He said Imran had clearly directed in “blunt words that we have no intention to negotiate with these three political parties at any stage”.

Hasan said if there was any ambiguity left about the matter then it should be removed now.

Omar added that Imran said that if Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Aain-i-Pakistan president Mahmood Khan Achakzai wanted to hold talks with anyone from the coalition alliance’s platform then he was welcome to do so but such negotiations would only be on the movement’s behalf.

“The PTI has a demand that they have to fulfil our prerequisites [and] eliminate all cases against Imran, Bushra Bibi and our officers and any talks will be held after that.”

After a seeming change of heart in the PTI to reach out to the government to end the political impasse, the party on Friday walked back and said it would not talk with “three parties”.

In February, PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan had said that party founder Imran Khan had given instructions to initiate contact with all other political parties, except the PML-N, PPP and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan.

The three parties are part of the coalition that is heading the government.

In an apparent U-turn from its earlier assertions that the former ruling party would only talk to ‘empowered’ stakeholders and not the ‘toothless ruling’ coalition, Imran on Tuesday had ordered the party’s top brass to reach out to the government for a dialogue.

The change of heart came in light of remarks by the Supreme Court during a hearing of the graft laws amendments case, in which the bench observed that the PTI should initiate talks with the government and resolve its issues in parliament through dialogue.