PM’s aide rules out deal, says govt or establishment hasn’t talked about deal with Imran Khan
Prime Minister’s Advisor on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Thursday strongly denied offering any deal to former Prime Minister Imran Khan or his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, instead saying the PTI founder had agreed in November 2024 to apologize for the May 9, 2023 riots but later withdrew.
His remarks came a day after he said attempts had been made to find a solution, but Imran was not willing to accept “any deal”. “He is not ready for any agreement,” Sanaullah told a private news channel. “Two serious efforts were made, but not only did he refuse, but his demands were such that the present government could not meet them.”
Read: Attaullah Tarar denies any government “deal” with Imran Khan
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar earlier in the day also dismissed media reports suggesting a “deal” between the government and the imprisoned PTI founder.
Speaking in an interview on private media’s ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ show, Sanaullah said his earlier statement was taken out of context. He urged people to read his full remarks, in which he clearly stated there would be no deal.
“The government has not talked about a deal with Imran Khan, and there won’t be one. The establishment has never offered him a deal and never will,” he said.
Asked what Imran had agreed to in a second round of efforts, involving foreign people who met with the PTI, Sanaullah claimed that the former prime minister had agreed to apologize for the May 9 incidents, but later withdrew.
Learn more: Vawda calls Imran deal ‘a figment of Rana Sanaullah’s imagination’
“He had essentially agreed to express regret or apology for the events of May 9. DG ISPR had also clearly stated a year ago that the first step in this matter should be a sincere expression of regret and apology on May 9, after which other matters could be looked into,” he said, adding that he had no evidence to back the claim.
Sanaullah clarified that no “give and take” had been offered by either the government or the establishment.
However, the Prime Minister’s aide added that when the PTI besieged Islamabad in November 2024, a discussion was held at the time but no agreement was reached.
Referring to the ongoing issue of jail meetings, Sanaullah said second-level PTI leaders had been informed that if such meetings were not used for anti-state speeches, below-the-belt criticism of institutions or press conferences outside the jail, then there would be no problem in allowing them. He questioned whether the acceptance of such conditions could be described as an “agreement”.
Sanaullah said the government’s offer was clear and open, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had invited all parties to come up with a ‘Pakistan Stability Charter’ so that all stakeholders could sit together to strengthen the country.
He added that Imran, due to his “stubbornness and rigidity”, was not ready for dialogue. He also claimed that opposition leaders Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Mehmood Khan Achakzai were not given any authority to negotiate.
Also read: November 2024 protest was a missed opportunity to secure Imran’s release, says Rana Sanaullah
“The claim that he authorized Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Raja Nasir Abbas makes no sense. They have no authority. Imran is not ready for political dialogue or sitting with political parties; it is simply not his policy,” he added.
Sanaullah said he himself had asked Achakzai to arrange a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz, but the opposition leader refused, saying he would inform him after seeking “permission” from the PTI founder.
He added that as the Leader of the House, the Prime Minister had no problem in meeting Achakzai, saying that in a parliamentary democratic system, it was not possible for the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition to have any contact with each other.
