Islamabad open to ‘non-transactional dialogue’ with Imran Khan’s party

Pakistan’s Minister of Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Friday Islamabad was ready to hold comprehensive dialogue with former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party “for the sake of the country’s prosperity and national interest”.

Addressing a press conference, Asif said however that Pakistan’s government would not oblige by entering into any “transactional dialogue with the opposition”.

Asif said a lot has happened in the year since Imran Khan received a vote of no confidence. He also referred to the court saga in the past few weeks where Imran Khan has failed to appear before a judge on various charges relating to the sale of gifts to him during his tenure as prime minister.

Asif said: “Imran Khan refused to appear in the courts on different pretexts and security reasons or reasons of being victimized.

“And then his appearance is accepted in the court while he still sits in the car and he actually attacks the courts or the courts are mocked by his supporters,” he added.

Khawaja Asif said that when police went to Imran Khan’s house to arrest him, “the police were attacked as a result at least 70 to 80 police officers, including senior officers, were injured trying to arrest him. They pitched battle outside his (Imran Khan’s) house. This has never happened in Pakistan.”

According to Pakistan’s APP, during his (Imran Khan) regime, opposition workers and leaders were arrested. “They never contested their arrest physically, never abused and maligned the courts,” he said.

“During the last four years of his (Imran Khan) rule as Prime Minister, almost the whole of the top leadership of PML-N was arrested,” he added.

“Our leader Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif got arrested when he came back from the UK to surrender, his daughter, sons and nephews were arrested. But they never resisted their arrest.”

Asif stated that he was “picked up from Embassy Road and remained in jail for almost six months”.

He also noted that victimization of the opposition was unprecedented in Khan’s era.

Asif noted that the coalition government was governing the country under difficult circumstances – administratively and financially and politically.

“This is the backdrop in which we are at the moment governing the country and trying to give the best. We do realise that the political capital we had when we took over or when moved the vote of no confidence has depleted. We paid a cost for it,” he added.

He said the coalition government was trying to manage the crisis but that every day there was a crisis precipitated by Imran Khan, APP reported.

Planned rally

Meanwhile, Pakistan media reported Saturday that shipping containers have been placed at various locations in Lahore ahead of the PTI’s rally at the Minar-i-Pakistan on Saturday night, where party chairman Imran Khan intends to outline his “vision of Haqeeqi Azadi”.

Dawn news reported that containers were being placed at entry and exit routes around the city in what appeared to be an attempt to block routes leading to the PTI’s rally.

Earlier Saturday, Imran Khan called on his supporters to “assert their right as people of a free nation” by attending the rally.

He added that the PTI would be holding its sixth public gathering at Minar-i-Pakistan, which he felt would “break all records”.

“My heart tells me it will break all records. I am inviting everyone in Lahore to attend after Tarawih prayers. I will give my vision of Haqeeqi Azadi and how we will pull Pakistan out of the mess cabal of crooks have put our country in,” Imran said.

Dawn News reported that while expressing concerns that the government may erect obstacles to prevent party supporters from reaching the venue, Imran Khan asserted that it was the fundamental right of the people to participate in a political gathering.

“Everyone must assert their right as people of a free nation that won its independence and come to Minar-i-Pakistan,” he told his supporters.