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Lawyer Gohar Khan, President of PTI. PHOTO: TWITTER
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Wednesday urged the government to hold “unconditional” talks with the opposition, saying there should be no conditions in the dialogue between political parties.
Speaking to the media, Gohar said it was wrong to say that negotiations would take place only on specific issues.
“It is wrong to say that negotiations will take place on this subject, but this subject cannot be included in the negotiations,” he said.
“If you want to dialogue, you have to talk about all subjects,” he said. At the same time, the PTI chairman said he did not have the power to negotiate with the government.
He said Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas – who were recently appointed opposition leaders in the National Assembly and Senate respectively – had been given authority to hold talks with the government.
“I will give them my consultation if they need it,” Gohar said. He added that if the government wanted to “shake hands” with the opposition, it should do so with both hands.
“The stick and carrot policy does not work. [Throwing] punching with one hand and extending the other doesn’t work,” he said.
Gohar also said PTI founder Imran was facing a slew of cases, adding that the ex-prime minister’s lawyers should be allowed to meet him.
He said a PTI delegation held a meeting with National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and highlighted the fact that meetings with Imran were not allowed.
Meanwhile, the PTI rejected the passage of the Election (Amendment) Bill 2026 by the National Assembly, calling it a “direct attack” on the fundamental principles of the right to information, transparency and accountability.
“This bill gives parliamentarians the ability to hide details of their assets from the public under the vague and undefined cover of ‘security concerns,’ which essentially provides a legal shield to the current ruling class,” the party said in a statement.
“Such laws do not strengthen democracy; on the contrary, they weaken it and seriously undermine public trust in government,” he said.
The PTI alleged that parties that claimed to uphold democracy, transparency and parliamentary values were now legislating to “hide the ill-gotten wealth” they had accumulated through “corrupt practices and abuse of power”.
“The nation is well aware of the sources of its illicit wealth; it is the result of corruption, plunder and abuse of authority,” he said.
“The public is fully informed and no law can hide the truth. This bill is an affront to the conscience of the people.
“These parties, which repeatedly advocate accountability, good governance and democratic values, are practically erecting walls of immunity and protection for themselves,” he said.
The PTI argued that such laws proved that some political parties did not represent the public but their own personal and class interests, and that double standards were hollowing out Pakistan’s democratic system from within.
“If an MP has genuine security concerns, the solution is not to hide his assets, but for the government to ensure the protection of his life and property,” he said.
