Islamabad: Pakistan's jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan has asked his party's leadership to abandon all attempts at negotiating with the military and political establishment, asserting that such talks only strengthen their adversaries. He also rebuffed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)spokesperson Raoof Hasan's remarks that the embattled opposition is ready to hold talks with the establishment.
'There is no point in engaging with the establishment. The more we retreat, the more they crush us. This is not the institution’s policy but that of the third umpire," said Imran Khan during an informal chat in the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where he has been imprisoned for more than a year.
The cricketer-turned-politician said that Hasan had some misunderstanding, adding that he gave a clear message after the Islamabad power show that his party would not hold talks with anyone, according to Geo News. Hasan told a private television channel previously that the beleaguered party was ready for talks with the establishment, which was "inevitable". Hasan was replaced by Sheikh Waqas Akram as PTI's central information secretary.
All party leaders instructed not to hold talks
Imran reaffirmed that all leadership, including Gandapur, had been instructed not to engage in talks with the establishment. "Since Bajwa’s era, they’ve told us not to talk about neutrality. The more we step back, the more they crush us. This is the policy of the third umpire, not the institution," he said.
Earlier this month, Imran had closed his doors to talks with all the parties, including the military establishment, signalling a hardened stance amidst the ongoing political turmoil. He also alleged that the establishment had deceived them, and he was closing the doors to negotiations with all the parties.
The jailed leader also announced a protest in Rawalpindi on Saturday, rejecting the need for official permission to hold a rally. “Our lawyers will also protest outside the Supreme Court tomorrow. It has been proven that [Chief Justice] Qazi Faez Isa is with them. He is one of their players, alongside Sikandar Sultan Raja, while the third umpire is their captain, controlling everything," he said.
'Opponents thought I would break, they were mistaken'
Imran has been behind bars since August last year after he was sentenced in the first Toshakhana criminal case, and subsequently sentenced in other cases ahead of the February 8 elections. Despite securing relief in several cases, the former premier's legal troubles refused to die down as he was booked in several other cases including those related to the May 9 riots.
On Thursday, he said that his opponents thought that he would break under the pressure of a hard life in jail but they were mistaken. "They thought I’d crumble, that I wouldn’t survive solitary confinement. I’ve spent 21 to 22 hours a day in isolation. In the summer, I sweat so much that my clothes deteriorate. They don’t understand what sportsman training is like; we are conditioned to endure under pressure,” he said.
He once again targeted his opponents without naming anybody, but apparently his target was the army, the judiciary the election commission of Pakistan and those having leading roles in those institutions. “When institutions and morality remain intact, a country survives. Here, however, the ‘extension mafia’ is destroying both for its own gain. The Gang of Three is ruining the nation’s future and institutions for their extensions,” he added.
(with agency input)
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