Zartaj Gul: Imran Khan Will Choose Death Over Deal, PTI Will Not Yield to Force and Guns

Islamabad: Zartaj Gul, the parliamentary leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the National Assembly, stated that the government has come to understand that PTI cannot be subdued through force or weapons. She emphasized that the government should take the ongoing negotiations seriously before resorting to a civil disobedience movement.
Speaking to the media outside the Parliament House, Zartaj Gul highlighted that PTI’s leader, Imran Khan, prefers death over compromising in any deal, adding that if anything were to happen to him, the situation in the country could worsen to a level worse than that of East Pakistan. She also called for the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the massacres that took place on May 9 and November 26.
Gul accused the government of orchestrating a conspiracy to topple Imran Khan’s government, even though PTI had a two-thirds majority in the assembly. She claimed that the February 8 elections were rigged and that PTI workers were targeted during the November 26 protests, with 12 of their members being killed due to the use of modern weaponry by the authorities.
She added that Imran Khan had appointed key PTI figures, including Opposition Leader Umar Ayub Khan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, to lead the party’s negotiation team. However, she criticized the government for not demonstrating seriousness in the talks initiated by the Speaker of the National Assembly.
Responding to a question about remarks made by PML-N’s Khawaja Asif, Zartaj Gul dismissed his statements as mere theatrics meant to please his political masters. She pointed out that numerous FIRs had been filed against PTI members, claiming that no political party in Pakistan’s 77-year history had faced as many legal challenges as PTI has.
Gul also alleged that security forces had restricted PTI leaders from offering prayers at the homes of martyred party workers, saying that these homes were surrounded by law enforcement, preventing them from even offering a prayer for the deceased.
She condemned the government’s use of violence and called it “state-sponsored terrorism” while claiming that the government was trying to present a facade of dialogue despite the ongoing repression. Zartaj Gul warned that the government’s efforts to divide the nation along provincial lines, especially through the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), were highly dangerous for the country’s unity.
As the deadline for Imran Khan’s proposed civil disobedience movement approaches, Zartaj Gul urged the government to either fulfill its promises or face further consequences. She concluded by reaffirming Imran Khan’s steadfastness and dedication to Pakistan, stating that Khan had always advocated for the military to focus on defending the borders while leaving governance to elected politicians.
In reference to the recent political shifts, she also mentioned that those who had previously abandoned PTI only to rejoin the government as advisers or ministers were now part of the ruling coalition.