Gohar said the PTI had always supported Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts, especially in easing tensions between Iran and the United States.
RAWALPINDI/LAHORE:
PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan’s lawyer on Tuesday expressed cautious optimism about the resumption of political dialogue, hoping that talks with the government could begin within a month to a month and a half, while stressing that significant progress depends on internal reconciliation and access to the party’s incarcerated founder.
Addressing the media at Dahgal Naka on Adiala Road, Gohar said that while Pakistan’s role in facilitating international peace efforts, particularly between Iran and the United States, was commendable, similar efforts were urgently needed in the country.
He said the negotiating authority rested with Mahmood Khan Achakzai, adding that no formal negotiations or meetings were currently underway.
He urged the country’s leaders, including the Prime Minister, Army Chief and Chief Justice, to recognize that lasting progress requires inclusive participation. “We are also citizens of this country,” he said, warning that domestic stability was a prerequisite for any meaningful role abroad.
Gohar said the PTI had always supported Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts, especially in easing tensions between Iran and the United States, even canceling a planned public rally in solidarity with national interests.
He, however, denounced restrictions on meetings with party founder Imran Khan, calling it unacceptable for such an important leader to be denied access to his family and medical care.
Gohar asserted that while no diplomatic breakthrough had yet been achieved in the Islamabad talks, there was no failure either, expressing hope that the next rounds could lead to a lasting ceasefire.
He stressed that Pakistan’s growing diplomatic stature must be accompanied by internal cohesion, noting that “if you negotiate ceasefires abroad, there must also be a ceasefire at home.”
Meanwhile, in another development, PTI founder Imran Khan’s lawyer Salman Safdar claimed that the incarcerated leader was being held in prolonged solitary confinement, terming it “torture”.
He expressed serious concerns about his health, particularly his eye condition, which he said has not improved.
Addressing a press conference at the LHCBA, Safdar said he met the PTI founder only once this year, for 65 minutes, during which the former prime minister repeatedly complained about being kept in solitary confinement for 22 hours a day.
He alleged that the conditions include lack of access to television, books, communications and even restricted access to a lawyer.
