ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday the party was ready for political negotiations, whether it was with “humans or angels,” in a veiled reference to criticism that the outfit had rejected talks with the civilian government and only wanted to engage with representatives of the all-powerful military.
Khan, in jail since August last year on charges he says are trumped up to keep him out of power, has repeatedly offered to hold "conditional negotiations" with the military. He has described the army as the “actual decision-makers” in the country and refused to talk to what he calls the "puppet" coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Critics have slammed Khan and his PTI party for their inflexibility on the issue, saying they are blocking attempts at reconciliation in a country that has been mired in political uncertainty since 2022, when Khan was ousted from power in a parliamentary no-trust vote.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Omar Ayub Khan, a close Khan aide and the leader of the opposition in the national assembly, said the PTI founder has given the go-ahead to form a negotiations committee comprising Omar and other senior PTI leaders like Hamid Raza, Salman Akram Rana, Ali Amin Gandapur and Asad Qaiser.
“We can have negotiations with anyone to bring stability to the country and bring down the political temperature,” Omar said, saying the main conditions for talks were the release of Khan and thousands of other PTI leaders and supporters who were in jail on “fake” charges.
He also called for judicial commissions to investigate protests on May 9 last year and Nov. 24 this year in which the government says PTI supporters partook in violence and caused vandalism.
“If that doesn't happen, then we are free to start a civil disobedience movement,” Omar said.
When asked if the PTI was open to talks with the government, the leader of the opposition replied:
“We are ready for negotiations, whether it is with humans or angels or whatever they are, we are ready for negotiations.”
In Pakistan, “angels” is a widely used euphemism to refer to the army and its intelligence agencies.
Pressure on the PTI, at loggerheads with the government and military for months, has increased since last month, when thousands of the party’s supporters stormed Islamabad, demanding Khan’s release from prison. The government says protesters killed four security officers in clashes while the PTI says at least 12 of its supporters died and "hundreds" were injured as security agencies used live ammunition rounds to disperse protesters, which authorities deny.
Party leaders have described the raid on the protest site as a “massacre,” with social media platforms awash with pictures and video footage that the government has called “fake propaganda” by PTI followers. The government also says there were no civilian casualties. The army was deployed by the government during the raid to disperse protesters, but authorities say only police and paramilitary troops participated while the military acted as a "third line of defense."
In the aftermath of the protests, the Sharif coalition government formed two task forces: one to identify and take legal action against rioters and another to track and bring to justice suspects behind what the government describes as a “malicious campaign” to spread “concocted, baseless and inciting” online news, images and video content against the state and security forces.
In a strongly worded statement released last week, the Pakistan army called on the government to take action against the rioters as well as those who had launched “fake” online campaigns against the state and its security agencies.
Khan, who remains a popular figure in Pakistan despite being in prison and facing several court cases, has led a campaign of unprecedented defiance against the Sharif coalition and the all-powerful military, which he accuses of being behind his ouster from office in 2022. The army denies it interferes in politics.
Party of Pakistan’s Imran Khan says ready for negotiations with ‘angels or humans’
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Party of Pakistan’s Imran Khan says ready for negotiations with ‘angels or humans’
- In Pakistan, “angels” is a widely used euphemism to refer to all-powerful army and its intelligence agencies
- Khan has said will hold “conditional talks” with army but refuses to sit down with “puppet” government
Pakistan army chief tells Kabul to choose Islamabad or Taliban militants amid strained ties
- Pakistan blames Afghanistan for facilitating cross-border attacks in its territory, allegations that Kabul denies
- Ties remain strained since October, when deadly border clashes left dozens dead on both sides of the border
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has told Afghanistan to choose between Islamabad and the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, state media reported on Sunday as ties between both neighbors remain strained.
Pakistan’s army and civilian government have both blamed the Afghan Taliban recently for facilitating cross-border attacks in Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies. Afghanistan says it does not allow its territory to be used for attacks against Pakistan and cannot be held responsible for Islamabad’s security challenges.
Both countries were involved in deadly border clashes in October that saw dozens of soldiers killed and wounded on both sides. Officials from Afghanistan and Pakistan have held peace talks in Qatar, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia over the past few months but failed to reach an agreement.
“Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has said Afghanistan will have to choose between Fitna Al-Khawarij and Pakistan,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
Munir was addressing the National Ulema and Mashaikh Conference held in Islamabad earlier this month, the state media said.
“Fitna Al-Khawarij” is a term the Pakistan military frequently uses for the TTP.
Munir highlighted that 70 percent of the TTP’s formations that enter Pakistan from Afghanistan comprise Afghan nationals.
“He said innocent citizens, including children, are being targeted through terrorism with the backing of the Afghan Taliban,” Radio Pakistan reported.
While Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to a temporary ceasefire, tensions persist between the two nations as militant attacks persist in Pakistan.
Pakistan summoned Afghanistan’s deputy head of mission on Friday and demanded “decisive action” against TTP militants after four Pakistani soldiers were killed in an attack on a military camp in northwest Pakistan.
The foreign office said the Afghan government had been informed that Pakistan “reserves the right to defend its sovereignty and protect its citizens” and would take all necessary measures to respond to attacks originating from Afghan territory.
Afghanistan has warned Pakistan in the past against attacking its territory, saying it reserves the right to respond to such provocations.
