Barrister Gohar Responds to PM’s Offer of Talks: Talks Are Merely an Offer, No Positive Step Taken

Rawalpindi (Qudrat Daily) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, responding to the Prime Minister’s offer of negotiations, has said that the government’s offer of talks exists in name only, and no practical positive step is being taken on it.

Speaking to the media at the Factory Naka on Adiala Road in Rawalpindi, he stated that the series of meetings with Imran Khan has been suspended for a year, with the last meeting having taken place in October of last year. He said that upon arriving near Adiala Jail today, it was learned that Imran Khan’s non-political cousin, Qasim Zaman, has also been taken into custody, despite never having made any political statement. He strongly condemned the arrests of all non-political individuals, including the founder’s sisters and Qasim Zaman, and demanded that this series of arrests be stopped immediately.

Discussing the negotiations with the government, Barrister Gohar said that PTI has always participated in talks with sincerity and good faith, and the demands it presented were within the framework of the Constitution and the law. However, he said, the government did not demonstrate generosity or seriousness. He added that if one or two more rounds of negotiations had taken place, the matter could have reached a positive outcome. He said that placing the blame for the failure of negotiations on the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is completely wrong.

Speaking on the issue of terrorism, he said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the most affected by this scourge, and the provincial assembly has already passed a unanimous resolution on the matter. Instead of tweets or press conferences on terrorism, an Apex Committee meeting should be convened immediately, with corps commanders also participating, because corps commanders belong to all of us, he said. He added that if their demands are not accepted, there would be no justification for stopping the long march, and imposing emergency or governor’s rule in the province would only further inflame hatred.