Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated on Tuesday that negotiations with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) are possible only if based on “legitimate” demands, rejecting any blackmail attempts masked as dialogue.
Speaking at a federal cabinet meeting, Shehbaz noted that PTI founder Imran Khan and his allies have been discussing talks. He recalled his prior invitations to PTI leaders for dialogue, including one extended on the National Assembly floor. “Discussions can only happen on legitimate demands—blackmail won’t work under the pretext of negotiations,” he emphasized.
The comments follow PTI founder Imran Khan’s rejection—two days earlier—of Mahmood Khan Achakzai’s dialogue call from jail. A post on Khan’s X handle read: “My message for Sohail Afridi is to prepare for a street movement. The entire nation must rise for their rights!!”
PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram told The News that Khan’s direct directive for a protest movement takes precedence. Achakzai can pursue his own initiatives, including talks, but PTI leaders must follow Khan’s orders, including instructing the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister to gear up for protests demanding rule of law and constitutional supremacy.
A federal government source insisted no meaningful dialogue is feasible without PTI expressing regret or apologizing for the May 9 incidents and its anti-army social media campaigns.
Achakzai, head of the opposition alliance, had declared at Saturday’s national conference that the Constitution was in tatters. He urged former PM Nawaz Sharif and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to initiate dialogue and guide the country out of crisis.
