PTI leadership takes Imran in loop

RAWALPINDI:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan held a two-hour meeting with Imran Khan at Adiala Jail.

Sources revealed that the discussion revolved around the upcoming protest, apex committee meetings and ongoing negotiations.

This was the second such meeting between the PTI leaders and Khan in two days. Following the meeting, the leaders left without speaking to the media.

Meanwhile, PTI founder's lawyer, Faisal Chaudhry, said that negotiations must progress by Thursday (today) or the protest will proceed as planned.

He dismissed reports of Rs1 billion expense for the demonstration, calling them baseless and reiterated that peaceful protest remains the party's only option.

"Our hands have been tied, media silenced, and even social media restricted," he quoted the PTI founder as saying.

He shared that the PTI chief expressed hope for dialogue. "If talks succeed by tomorrow, the protest will turn into a celebration," Chaudhry said, adding that any negotiations would only occur with "those wielding real power" and must address PTI's demands.

Meanwhile, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram said the PTI will exercise its fundamental rights, asserting that nobody can take it away from the party. "Governments do not threaten or bully their citizens, thugs do."

"Your frustrations show fear … every segment of society will come out and on the 24th, a sea of people will come out and you will have to face that," he added while addressing reporters at the Peshawar Press Club.

He also remarked that the government's preparations "show that they are afraid". "They have always been heavy-handed," Akram said, referring to the authorities.