Protest movement will continue until leaders come to the table after recognizing opposition as equal partner, says Afridi
LAHORE:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders said the party would move towards dialogue with the government only after ensuring a “level playing field” through sustained street protests, rejecting the idea of entering talks from a position of weakness.
The position was outlined 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 the Defense Housing Authority in Lahore, Afridi said reconciliation without resistance is not an option. “We will be lost if we enter into dialogue without resistance,” he said. “The protest movement will continue until the leaders come to the table after recognizing the opposition as an equal partner. »
Responding to criticism that repeated protests had failed to yield tangible results, the chief minister said the party would avoid making grand statements and focus on “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 what the party calls institutional interference in politics and journalism.
“If we are told not to talk about these subjects, 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.
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 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. He said he even offered to proceed without his security guards, but was always denied access.
Raja termed the treatment inappropriate, saying the Punjab government should not have acted so harshly towards the sitting provincial chief minister.
Later in the day, Afridi met Hassan Niazi’s mother Noreen Khan and other family members at the residence of Punjab Assembly member Zamirul Hassan Bhatti. During the meeting, Afridi expressed solidarity with the families of imprisoned PTI leaders and prayed for early release of political detainees. Participants stressed the importance of legal justice, restraint and dialogue, while also calling for respect for the human rights of prisoners.
The developments came days after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif proposed talks with the opposition, while saying any dialogue would be limited to what he described as “legitimate issues.”
For now, PTI leaders say the path to negotiations lies through public mobilization and not quiet engagement, indicating that political tensions are likely to persist in the short term.
