By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A top official in Imran Khan’s opposition party said on Thursday that any negotiations with the federal government would be impossible without the presence of the imprisoned former prime minister, casting fresh doubt on efforts to ease Pakistan’s deepening political crisis.
Salman Akram Raja, the secretary general of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf laid out the party’s unyielding position during an appearance on a private television channel, insisting that talks could not proceed amid what he described as ongoing repression. “You cannot come into our house, attack us, loot us and then invite us for negotiations,” Raja said. “Give us an agenda, tell us what topics will be discussed.”
He, however said the PTI will not negotiate with the government “in Imran Khan’s absence. You cannot expect to put him in a black hole while everyone else talks and the PM eats biscuits. It will not happen like that.” The comments came as tensions simmered over recent arrests and roadblocks that opposition leaders said were aimed at stifling their mobilisation efforts.
Recounting recent frustrations, Raja said that between December 2024 and January 2025, party representatives had sought to meet with Khan and include him in any discussions, but those requests were denied. He also pointed to the government’s refusal to authorise judicial inquiries into the May 9, 2023, riots — which erupted after Khan’s arrest and involved attacks on military installations — and the PTI’s march on Islamabad on Nov. 26, 2024. “The plan seems to be an effort to bury the attack on voters on February 8, 2024, and move on from it,” Raja said
The PTI has long maintained that the vote was manipulated to favor the ruling coalition, a charge the government has denied. When pressed on whether talks might occur on Jan. 12, as suggested by Federal Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Raja said he was unaware of the date. Addressing apparent divisions within the opposition on the issue, Raja emphasised unity between key figures, including Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the chief of Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan, an alliance that includes the PTI, and Aleema Khan, Khan’s sister.
“This past Tuesday, Achakzai sahib and Aleema were present outside Adiala jail. Together, they spoke with the press,” Raja said. “They’re saying the same thing: talks will only happen when the powers that be realise that the Pakistani people are tired of them and the system,” he continued. “It’s a system where people are struggling to find livelihoods, health and education. We need to express our displeasure.”
Raja went on to describe Achakzai’s travel from Islamabad to Lahore on Thursday for what he called street mobilization, saying the TTAP leader was stopped multiple times en route. He claimed that several PTI workers had been arrested and that “someone had died” in the process. “How can talks happen in this environment, if you are not willing to give even a little bit of political space?” Raja asked. “You have denied two distinguished gentlemen passage from Islamabad to Lahore and have turned Lahore into a battleground. And you want us to sit and talk?“Negotiations do not happen in a graveyard or a jail, they require space.”
On Dec. 23, Prime Minister Sharif renewed his call for dialogue with the opposition, but stressed that discussions must focus on “legitimate matters.” The PTI has since rebuffed the overture, citing directives from Khan himself. However, the TTAP alliance has signaled some willingness to engage. Last week, Rana Sanaullah, the prime minister’s adviser on political affairs, spoke of the need for “confidence-building measures” among five key players to stabilise the political landscape. “Two of them are my leaders, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Nawaz Sharif,” Sanaullah said. “The third is President Asif Ali Zardari, the fourth is Imran Khan, and everyone knows who the fifth is” — a veiled reference widely interpreted as the powerful military establishment.
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