PESHAWAR:
PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan said his party is currently not conducting any substantive negotiations with the government, adding that the responsibility for moving the process forward lies with those with real authority.
“PTI has authorized Mahmood Achakzai to represent the party in dialogue efforts. Achakzai showed political maturity by shaking hands with the Prime Minister. If anyone considers this as our weakness, he is wrong,” Gohar said while speaking to reporters on Wednesday.
Stressing that political disputes must be resolved politically, the PTI chief said every public office holder has the responsibility to seek solutions to national problems.
Gohar said the PTI was yet to take any decision regarding the elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and would announce its stand in the next two days.
He clarified that the party had not decided to boycott the AJK elections and termed a notification circulating on social media regarding a boycott as “completely false”.
Gohar said the situation in Kashmir was extremely serious, describing the region as the “jugular vein” of Pakistan. He said the PTI was closely monitoring the developments and would take important decisions regarding Kashmir in the coming days.
He urged giving a chance to political opportunism and said that while the people of Kashmir were protesting their grievances, their protests should remain peaceful. He also called on the government to avoid any bloodshed.
Commenting on reports of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi being replaced by another party lawmaker, he said Afridi had not been replaced and currently there was no candidate in the provincial assembly who could take the post.
He said disgruntled PTI lawmakers had been invited to Islamabad for a meeting later in the day, where their concerns would be heard. “There is no forward bloc in the PTI,” he said, adding that the party remained united.
The PTI president complained that the party was repeatedly deprived of its election symbol, saying this had created serious difficulties in elections held in Haripur, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.
Regarding the imprisonment of PTI founder Imran Khan, lawyer Gohar expressed serious concern over the restrictions imposed on meetings and medical facilities.
He claimed that despite 250 days having passed, no one was allowed to meet the PTI founder in jail. He demanded that the meeting schedule be reinstated immediately. He also requested that Imran Khan receive medical treatment at a hospital chosen by his family.
Commenting on the KP budget, Gohar said the provincial government presented an excellent budget but was forced to present a deficit budget due to financial constraints.
He accused the federal government of failing to provide KP its due share in the National Finance Commission (NFC) award. He also criticized the imposition of taxes in the former regions of Fata and Pata, calling the move inappropriate.
