PTI rules out talks 'from position of weakness'

LAHORE:

The PTI has said it will move toward dialogue with the government only after securing a "level playing field" through sustained street protests. The opposition party has rejected the notion of entering talks from "a position of weakness".

The stance was outlined on Sunday by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja during a series of meetings in Lahore, where party leaders gathered to launch a fresh street movement on the directives of jailed party founder Imran Khan.

Speaking to journalists at a private residence, Afridi said reconciliation without resistance is not an option. "We will be at a loss if we enter into dialogue without resistance. The protest movement will continue until the rulers come to the table after recognising the opposition as an equal," he said.

The TTAP — an opposition parties' alliance of which the PTI is the most significant part — on December 21 announced staging a wheel-jam and shutter-down strike at the second anniversary of "highly rigged" February 8, 2024 general elections.

At the conclusion of its two-day conference in Islamabad, the alliance also presented a charter of demand including release of all political prisoners particularly PTI founder Imran Khan and an independent probe into alleged manipulation of results after the February elections.

On December 23, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his government "remained committed" to its "principled stance" of peaceful dialogue with all political parties for national development, prosperity and political harmony.

On December 27, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari — one of the key allies of the PML-N government — also laid emphasis on talks while offering the services of his father, President Asif Ali Zardari, to spearhead the process of political reconciliation.

Addressing criticism that repeated protests had failed to deliver tangible results, the K-P chief minister said the PTI would avoid grand claims and focus instead on what he described as "practical work" aimed at producing outcomes.

Raja echoed the position, saying no political party could afford to move into a "blind alley."

He accused the government of attempting to silence the PTI on issues it considers fundamental, including alleged election irregularities, the continued incarceration of Imran Khan and institutional interference in politics and journalism.

"If we are told not to speak on these matters, then what space is left for politics?" Raja asked. He said dialogue could only begin once basic principles were agreed upon, warning that the party would otherwise continue to mobilise supporters on the streets.

For now, the PTI leader said the path to negotiations runs through public mobilization, signaling that political tensions are likely to persist in the near term.

Following the meeting, Afridi attempted to visit the families of jailed PTI leaders, including former Punjab governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema and lawyer Hassan Niazi.

He later told reporters that he was stopped from entering the Lahore cantonment area, which he said had been declared a no-go zone. "I was told I was not permitted to enter," Afridi said, questioning the restriction and demanding that the reasons be provided in writing.

Afridi challenges Maryam

CM Sohaib Afridi also challenged Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to hold a public rally in the K-P, saying that Maryam should stage a rally in the K-P while he would organize one in Punjab, "and then it would become clear whose call draws a larger public response".

Afridi said Maryam should come to the K-P, where she would be shown how a chief minister is received and respected in a democratic and civilized manner.

Issuing an open challenge, the chief minister said he was even ready to give Maryam Nawaz a week to prepare. He said this would clearly show whose call brings more people onto the streets.

Afridi said the PTI had won 180 seats from Punjab in the last general elections, which clearly proved that the people of Punjab had trusted the PTI and responded to Imran Khan's call, and that they were ready to do so even today.

The chief minister said those who had come to power through illegal means — referring to what he called a "Form 47 government" — had lost all connection with the public and were completely disconnected from ground realities.