PTI warns of nationwide campaign over stalled talks with govt

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) chapter President Junaid Akbar has warned of a nationwide campaign against the ruling coalition, citing the government’s lack of commitment to resolving political tensions through dialogue.

Speaking to a local TV news channel, Akbar said the opposition’s willingness to negotiate was wrongly interpreted as a sign of weakness. His remarks came after PTI skipped the fourth round of talks with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led coalition government earlier on Tuesday, effectively stalling the negotiation process.

PTI and the ruling alliance initiated talks in December last year to lower the political temperature in the country. However, the dialogue process derailed as PTI accused the government of failing to form judicial commissions to investigate the May 9, 2023, protests and the crackdown on PTI demonstrators in Islamabad on November 26, 2024.

Akbar, who was recently elected Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman unopposed, admitted that while PTI aimed to make negotiations work, the current trajectory suggested a deadlock.

He confirmed PTI’s intention to abandon negotiations in favor of street protests. “Yes, definitely,” he said when asked if the party would now seek solutions on the streets.

He announced a series of protest plans, including district-level demonstrations on February 8 against alleged election rigging and a large-scale protest at Islamabad’s D-Chowk.

The PTI leader stressed that this time, the party would not engage in negotiations during its street protests. Hinting at significant changes within PTI, he revealed that the party’s “homoeopathic leadership” would be replaced by hardliners after a reorganization scheduled for May.

He also announced plans to revamp the provincial cabinet, with two new members expected to join Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s team.

Akbar accused the federal government of attempting to create divisions within PTI and coercing party members to switch loyalties. “We know who is in contact with whom,” he said, adding that efforts to destabilize the party had failed.

The PTI leader also claimed that those who left the party had originally joined under external directives. Akbar expressed optimism about the release of PTI founder Imran Khan this year.