Amid ongoing talks between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the government, the federal government stated on Monday that PTI would inevitably demand its mandate, which the party claims was “stolen” during the February 8 general elections. The opposition accused authorities of “blocking” meetings with incarcerated party founder Imran Khan.
The Prime Minister’s aide on political affairs, Rana Sanaullah, said on Geo News’ program Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath, “Whether now or later, PTI will surely demand its mandate.”
After months of political conflict, the coalition government and embattled PTI finally initiated talks to ease tensions. The party initially presented two demands: the release of all political prisoners and a judicial probe into the events of May 9 and November 26.
During the second round of negotiations, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, the PTI team requested repeated meetings with Imran Khan to finalize the “charter of demands.”
While PTI has been vocal about its demands, including political prisoners’ release and judicial probes, it failed to provide these demands to the government in writing. The opposition accused jail authorities of blocking their access to Khan, while the government cited the lack of a written charter for the delay in a third meeting.
Sanaullah stated, “After 2018, PML-N was ready to sit with PTI’s founder.”
Imran Khan’s lawyer Faisal Chaudhry claimed some elements were attempting to sabotage negotiations, urging the government to allow PTI’s team to meet its jailed leader.
