PTI leaders link talks with Imran meeting

ISLAMABAD:

Incarcerated leaders of the PTI have expressed willingness to engage in political dialogue with other parties, provided they are first allowed to meet the party's founding chairman, Imran Khan.

The detained leaders left the door to talks slightly ajar, asserting that any meaningful engagement must begin with access to Khan.

The proposal follows Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's recent call for political dialogue amid deepening political uncertainty.

In an open letter addressed to the government, senior PTI leaders detained in Lahore prisons proposed initiating talks to help navigate the country out of its ongoing political and constitutional crisis.

The open letter, authored by PTI leaders from Lahore currently in detention, including Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry and Omar Sarfraz Cheema, was addressed to the government.

The letter stressed that the country was facing an unprecedented political and constitutional crisis and stressing that comprehensive negotiations were the only way forward.

The leaders argued that dialogue should not only take place at the political level but must also include the establishment to ensure that all stakeholders can proceed with mutual trust. They called for the immediate initiation of talks and the inclusion of PTI leaders currently imprisoned in Lahore jails.

"No important political decisions can be made without the consultation of Imran Khan," the letter stated. "Effective representation is not possible unless we have his guidance."

Moreover, the letter asserted that a one-time meeting with the incarcerated patron-in-chief would not suffice. Instead, there must be ongoing opportunities for consultation with Imran Khan to ensure that the negotiation process remains effective and consistent.

Meanwhile, from Adiala Jail, Imran Khan has instructed party leadership to prepare for a political movement following Ashura.

Speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail on Tuesday, Imran's sister Aleema Khan said that she and her sisters were allowed a 15-minute meeting with him, while lawyer Zaheer Abbas was granted only a 90-second conversation.

She added that other lawyers, including Salman Safdar, Salman Akram Raja and Niazullah Niazi, were denied access entirely.

"These are deliberate attempts to sideline the party founder," she said.

Aleema quoted Imran Khan as stating that the consequences of the 26th constitutional amendment are becoming increasingly evident.

"He said, if you steal people's votes and claim they don't matter, it means you've effectively imposed martial law. If you turn the judiciary into a government department and treat judges this way, the rule of law is over."

"Those sitting in assemblies were not elected by votes. The voice of the media has been silenced. Now they are bringing the 27th amendment. It would be better to declare monarchy, because the people's voice has been taken away. Pakistan was created in the name of the Kalma, and it is that belief which sustains us. The nation is being completely enslaved. I would rather spend my entire life in jail than accept this slavery," Aleema further quoted Imran as saying.

According to Aleema, Imran has directed the party to begin preparing for a protest movement after Ashura.