Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. Photo:X
LAHORE:
The PTI said it would move towards dialogue with the government only after ensuring a “level playing field” through sustained street protests. The opposition party rejected the idea of starting negotiations from a “position of weakness”.
The position was outlined on Sunday by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and PTI general secretary Salman Akram Raja during a series of meetings in Lahore, where party leaders came together to launch a new street movement on the directives of jailed party founder Imran Khan.
Speaking to reporters at a private residence, Afridi said reconciliation without resistance was not an option. “We will be lost if we start a dialogue without resistance. The protest movement will continue until the leaders come to the table after recognizing the opposition as equal,” he said.
The TTAP – an alliance of opposition parties of which the PTI is the largest part – announced on December 21 the organization of a traffic jam and closure strike on the second anniversary of the “highly rigged” general elections of February 8, 2024.
At the end of its two-day conference in Islamabad, the alliance also presented a charter of demands including the release of all political prisoners, particularly PTI founder Imran Khan, and an independent investigation into allegations of manipulation of results after the February elections.
On December 23, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his government “remains 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 PML-N government’s main allies, also emphasized the talks while offering the services of his father, President Asif Ali Zardari, to lead the political reconciliation process.
Responding to criticism that repeated protests had failed to yield tangible results, the KP chief minister said the PTI would avoid grand demands and instead focus on what he described as “practical work” aimed at producing results.
Raja echoed this position, saying no political party could afford to engage in a “dead end”.
He accused the government of trying to silence the PTI on issues it considers fundamental, including alleged electoral irregularities, the continued detention of Imran Khan and institutional interference in politics and journalism.
“If we are told not to talk about these issues, what place is left for politics?” » asked Raja. He said dialogue could only begin once basic principles were agreed, warning that otherwise the party would continue to mobilize its supporters on the streets.
For now, the PTI leader said the path to negotiations lies through public mobilization, signaling that political tensions are likely to persist in the short 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 had been barred from entering the Lahore cantonment area, which he said had been declared a no-go zone. “I was told I was not allowed 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 KP, saying Maryam should hold a rally in KP while he holds one in Punjab, “and then it will become clear which call elicits a greater public response”.
Afridi said Maryam should come to KP, where she would be shown how a chief minister is received and respected in a democratic and civilized manner.
Raising an open challenge, the chief minister said he was even ready to give Maryam Nawaz a week to prepare. He said it would clearly show which call brings more people to the streets.
Afridi said that PTI had won 180 seats in Punjab in the last general elections, which clearly proved that the people of Punjab had trusted PTI and responded to Imran Khan’s call, and they were ready to do so even today.
The chief minister said those who came to power through illegal means – referring to what he called “Form 47 government” – had lost all connection with the public and were completely out of touch with ground realities.
