PTI forms negotiation committee
PTI forms negotiation committee for poll talks with govt
Govt turns down Khan’s negotiations offer
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) constituted seven members ‘Negotiation Committee’ tasked to hold talks with the government pertaining to the elections.
The PTI has formed a negotiation committee for talks with the government on the instructions of the approval of party Chairman Imran Khan. The seven-member team would decide the plan of action with the government regarding the elections.
The committee comprises party vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, PTI senior leaders Pervez Khattak, Asad Qaiser, Hammad Azhar, Haleem Adil Sheikh, Murad Saeed and Aon Abbas Buppi.
PTI Central Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan issued notification in this regard.
Meanwhile, rejecting a negotiation offer made by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said Saturday that talks could not be held with those who attacked the state.
The deposed prime minister — who was removed from office via a vote of no confidence in April last year — said he is ready to speak to “anyone who is in power” after his party’s top leaders began jumping ship following the May 9 riots.
Reacting to his offer, the information minister said: “Dialogue cannot be held with those who set the country on fire, create chaos and anarchy, fills the minds of masses with hatred, and harbour armed groups.”
She said that Khan was not appealing for negotiations, he was, in fact, seeking an “NRO”.
Taking a jibe at the PTI chief, Marriyum said the “foreign agent” who committed “robbery” on Rs 60 billion was to be brought to justice.
She ruled out talks with those who attacked sensitive installations and buildings which were symbols of national pride including General Headquarters (GHQ), those who desecrated the memorials of martyrs and Ghazis, who attacked ambulances, hospitals and schools and were involved in vandalism.
The information minister said talks cannot be held with those who “poisoned the minds of the youth”. “Negotiations could not be held with the leaders of the criminals and terrorists,” she added.
The PML-N leader said while his party crumbled like a “castle of sand”, Imran was pleading for talks, recalling how “electables” were brought in planes to join the PTI.
Marriyum opined that parties not formed on any political ideology were disintegrated like the PTI.
Separately, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif on Saturday ruled out any possibility of holding talks with the PTI.
It comes minutes after PTI chief Imran Khan had formed a seven-member committee to hold negotiations with the PDM-led government. Taking to Twitter, he wrote, “Talks are held with politicians only. No talks will be held with the group that desecrated martyrs’ graves, and terrorists who burned the country.”
Giving a big surprise in coming days
Qureshi to ‘lead PTI’ if he gets disqualified: Khan
Says no quarrel with military, this army is mine
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi would lead the party in case of his disqualification by a court.
“If I am disqualified, Qureshi will run the party,” Khan said Saturday in a meeting with journalists and lawyers at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.
He stated that and in the future, Murad Saeed would emerge as a ‘prominent leader’. “I know that there is a plan to arrest me, disqualify me, or even kill me. If I am arrested or disqualified, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Pervez Khattak will handle the party affairs,” he said.
Khan said that he has consulted with his legal team for the release of arrested workers, and soon the party will approach the courts in this connection.
Commenting on the mass departure of leaders from his party over the May 9 vandalism, the PTI chief put up a brave face saying the situation is going to change soon.
“I will give a big surprise in the coming days,” he added. Khan said some party leaders were leaving the party under compulsion while some had been exposed.
Calling the youth a major asset of his party, Khan said the party ticket was their right and added that PTI will win the next general elections despite desertions of the party leaders.
He also called for holding a referendum to gauge the popularity of his party among the masses. Amid rumours about the PTI-backed president’s resignation, Khan said Arif Alvi would continue working according to the Constitution.
The PTI chief claimed that a conspiracy had been hatched to “arrest, disqualify, and even assassinate him”.
Responding to allegations that he directed his party workers to attack the military installations, the PTI chief rejected the claims saying he never issued instructions for violence and vandalism.
He said: “I can take an oath on this matter that I have never advocated violence and destruction. If I didn’t resort to violence even when bullets were fired at me, how was it possible now?”
Khan further said that everything has been planned against PTI. “When we are winning in public, why should we resort to violence?,” he concluded.
He also maintained that he had no quarrel with the military saying: “There is no fight with the army, this army is mine.”
The former PM hit out at the coalition government for “destroying” the country’s economy and reiterated that there is no solution to the prevailing crisis except elections.
Meanwhile, taking to Twitter, Khan has said that backbreaking inflation and unprecedented fall in value of Pakistani rupee is being witnessed while the government has all its focus on the worst crackdown on PTI. “Dollar is selling at Rs310 in the open market and there’s record backbreaking inflation in the country right now. While our debt is accumulating at the fastest rate ever, the economy is shrinking. All our annual tax revenue collections do not even cover the interest that we have to pay on our loans. “While the country’s economy is crashing right before our eyes, all this fascist govt is thinking of, are more coercive and oppressive measures to crush PTI,” he tweeted.
PTI chairman said: “Of course to PDM leadership this historic devaluation of the rupee doesn’t matter because all their ill-gotten wealth is stashed abroad in dollars. It will be the people of Pakistan who will experience inflation and poverty while PDM leaders will be beneficiaries of this fall in rupee.”
Ali Zaidi, Imran Ismail part ways with PTI
Zaidi says decision not easy; Bakhtiar says distancing from party because of policy of confrontation with institutions
In another setback, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Ali Zaidi and former Sindh governor Imran Ismail on Saturday announced parting their ways with the PTI.
In a video message, Zaidi, the party’s Sindh president, said that quitting politics was not an easy decision, adding that he took the decision after much deliberation.
“I resign from PTI Sindh chairmanship, core committee and membership of the National Assembly,” he added. Zaidi added that he will “continue working for Pakistan, and bring foreign exchange to the country”.
Once again, condemning the incidents of May 9, he said that “whatever happened was wrong, whoever was involved in it should be brought to justice”.
Meanwhile, Imran Ismail announced his departure from PTI following his release from jail. He condemned the May 9 protests and spoke in support of the Pakistan Army and criticised the former ruling party’s anti-establishment tirade.
Addressing his “last political press conference”, Ismail said that his affiliation and ties with Khan were very good. He recalled the time when the PTI was formed, saying he was very young and was part of a group of three to four people who laid the party’s foundation.
“I always chased the dream of making Pakistan a better country and we got that chance when our party came into power in 2018. We decided to struggle and take part in the elections once again. We saw a lot of things from public rallies to attack Imran Khan but then we saw a diversion,” he added.
He said that a narrative started building that the PTI is against the Pakistan Army, which a lot of leaders were uncomfortable with. “A lot of people advised Khan while many also spoke against it. We used a lot of names ‘Mr X’, ‘Dirty Harry’ and hence, the public had a perspective that the PTI is against the army,” he continued.
Speaking about the “evil” May 9 riots that erupted after the PTI chief’s arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case, Ismail said that the attacks happened on the General Head Quarters (GHQ), Corps Commander House, and the memories of the martyrs. “I am leaving PTI and I don’t know if I will continue to remain active in politics. Today, I say goodbye to Imran Khan and PTI,” he concluded.
Earlier, former federal minister Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar also announced to quit PTI. He added that a year ago he had told the top and frontline leadership of the party that the PTI’s new political plan of confrontation with national institutions would be harmful for the party.
Govt revokes diplomatic passports of 10 PTI leaders
Qureshi, Asad Umar, Sheikh Rasheed, ParvezKhattak among them
The federal government on Saturday revoked diplomatic passports of Shah MahmoodQureshi, Asad Umar, ParvezKhattak, Sheikh Rasheed and six other political leaders associated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
The move comes amid a slew of incarcerations, legal harassment and defamatory public campaigns against the PTI and its top leadership. The past week has seen several PTI leaders, including FawadChaudhry, DrShireenMazari, Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, Malik Amin Aslam, MahmoodMoulvi, Amir Kayani, Jai Prakash, AftabSiddiqui and Sanjay Gangwani, announcing their exit from the party. Some, like DrMazari and Chaudhry, have also announced a break from politics altogether.
Shah MahmoodQureshi, who has been incarcerated since May 11, with local police showed ignorance over his whereabouts before the Islamabad High Court. The court was informed by the Attorney General of Pakistan that Qureshi is being held at Adiala Jail.
Meanwhile, former federal minister Asad Umar announced his resignation from his position as PTI secretary general on May 24 shortly after his release from Adiala Jail. Umar clarified, however, that he was not parting ways with the PTI.
Other PTI leaders whose passports have been revoked by the Directorate of Passport and Immigration include AunAbbasi, Ali Amin Gandapur, Ali Muhammad Khan, FarrukhHabib, ZartajGul and Azam Khan Swati.
Agencies
