Imran Khan Remains ‘Inaccessible’ to Party Members
Imran Khan Remains ‘Inaccessible’ to Party Members
PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD: The PTI’s efforts to reach Imran Khan on Thursday were unsuccessful, as the party declared its plan to present its written requests during the third round of negotiations.
Negotiations between the government and the PTI began in the last week of December to ease political tensions; however, despite several weeks of talks, progress on significant issues like establishing a judicial commission and releasing PTI detainees has been minimal. PTI attorney Faisal Chaudhry informed Dawn on Thursday that he was instructed to contact the Adiala administration to facilitate a meeting between the PTI negotiation team and the former prime minister. Still, after a full day of attempts, the prison authorities denied access to Mr. Khan. During a separate press conference at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Department in Peshawar, PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqqas Akram urged the government to demonstrate genuine commitment to the dialogue by creating a judicial commission to investigate the crackdowns on May 9 and November 26. Akram stated that accessing the PTI leader was their primary request, as they needed to confer with him about the negotiations. “For three and a half months, we have been unable to reach Imran,” he asserted. Regarding a recent interaction with the PTI chief, he mentioned that their earlier meetings with the party’s founder lacked depth, and the party wanted the opportunity for a comprehensive discussion on important matters. He expressed that a brief meeting in a small room did not constitute “proper access.” Despite this, he acknowledged that the PTI founder displayed earnestness by allowing party representatives to submit their demands in writing during the third phase of discussions with the government. “Meeting with Imran Khan is our rightful demand, which has been denied to us,” he stated. The day prior, PTI leader Omar Ayub insisted on ‘unmonitored’ access to the former prime minister, claiming their discussions were conducted under surveillance. Conversely, the government contended that such a meeting was not feasible due to prison regulations. According to Akram, the government opened the prison gates at 7 am to prevent the Sangjani protest, questioning the justification provided by the jail manual for this action. He further criticized the Punjab government, led by the PML-N, questioning how it could address his party’s other requests if it could not facilitate such a meeting. He emphasized that establishing a judicial commission was a vital demand that would advance the negotiation process. Akram stated that the government was not truthful about the conditions granted to the PTI founder in prison, alleging that Imran Khan was held in a ‘death cell.’
Additionally, he claimed that Mr. Khan was denied newspapers and television, with jail officials confiscating his reading materials. The PTI spokesperson also noted that party members detained in Attock and Jhelum jails were facing mistreatment. He mentioned that 40 individuals were being confined in 10×10 cells and that the arrested workers were not receiving necessary medical care.
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