ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said the negotiations with the government will only go forward if they are willing to dissolve the National Assembly and hold elections forthwith.
He said this during an informal conversation with journalists at the Islamabad High Court (IHC), where he appeared for protective bail in the mutiny case.
A single bench of Chief Justice Aamer Farooq after hearing the petition in the mutiny case granted bail to Imran Khan against the surety bonds worth of Rs100,000 till May 3.
At the onset of the hearing, Salman Safdar, representing the PTI chief, informed that the issue regarding the biometric verification had been resolved.
However, Advocate General Islamabad Jahangir Jadoon objected to Imran’s plea for being heard the same day it had been filed. He remarked that others should receive the same treatment if they file similar petitions.
The bench said that the petitioner, being a Pakistani, had the right to be granted bail. Then, the AG suggested that the petitioner be directed to appear before the relevant court after being granted bail. The court; therefore, directed the PTI chairman to become a part of the investigation and granted him bail till May 3.
Talking to media persons, the PTI chairman said that he had asked Fawad Chaudhry and Shah Mahmood Qureshi (who were also present in the courtroom) to initiate talks with the government only if the ruling parties were prepared to immediately dissolve the assembly and hold elections. He also said that there is no need to proceed if they insist on holding polls in September or October.
Khan added that the ball is in the government’s court and if they want to hold elections on the same date, then they should do it but he urged the government to pay attention to the PTI’s demand for dissolving the assembly. The PTI chief made it clear that his party is not involved in any attempts to sabotage the talks, saying that there was no such statement issued from the party.
He also said that his rival parties want to break the Constitution but the PTI stands by it. He added that they are standing by the rule of law while their opponents are committing contempt of court. He remarked that if elections are not held on May 14, then it would be a breach of the Constitution and if that were to happen then whoever is powerful will have his way.
He also criticized the former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa (retd) for imposing a “band of thieves” on the country.
Speaking about Hamid Mir’s statement about Bajwa and Kashmir issue, Khan said that he knew more things than that but this is a national security issue and he does not want any international news to be made that would harm the country’s interests.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023