RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has said the meeting with party founder Imran Khan at Adiala Jail was required on legal grounds and should not be viewed as a favour.
Speaking to reporters at Factory Naka on Adiala Road, Raja said the meeting had become essential as proceedings in cases against the former prime minister were not moving forward.
He said Barrister Salman Safdar had informed the court that he would not proceed with arguments until he was granted access to Imran Khan.
Raja described the meeting as purely legal, adding that the party would determine its next course of action after consultations. He quoted Safdar as saying that Imran Khan was in good spirits in prison and remained steadfast in his stance.
He ruled out expectations of any political breakthrough from the meeting, explaining that political matters would require separate discussions involving political representatives.
Commenting on speculation about a possible forward bloc within PTI, Raja said he did not anticipate such a development, although he could not completely dismiss the possibility. He warned that anyone departing from the party founder’s position would face political consequences.
Raja also said Maulana Fazlur Rehman had his own political agenda and street power, while PTI had no formal alliance with his party.
The PTI secretary general maintained that Imran Khan knew about developments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the collapse of the provincial government. However, he said the party founder did not regularly receive newspapers or have access to television in jail, while Bushra Bibi had access to both.
He rejected claims that Imran Khan was disappointed over the political situation in KP or the end of the provincial government.
Discussing negotiations with the government, Raja said the dialogue process had largely been a formality and that its lack of progress could not be blamed on PTI.
He said the party could not give the government a blank cheque to conduct military operations against terrorism or endorse drone strikes that might displace large numbers of people.
Raja said PTI was willing to cooperate with the state in tackling terrorism but opposed actions that could endanger innocent people or force residents to leave their homes.
Referring to the situation in KP, he raised concerns over displaced families, missing persons and reported drone strikes targeting locations including mosques, wedding gatherings and religious seminaries.
He also denied that Imran Khan had described the dissolution of the KP government as a positive development, insisting that no such discussion had taken place during the jail meeting.
Raja referred to the petition seeking the recovery of the KP chief minister and provincial assembly speaker, saying the matter had been referred to a larger bench of the Peshawar High Court and was expected to be heard soon.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, meanwhile, called for a reduction in political tensions and urged government and opposition leaders to exercise restraint in their public statements. He said PTI had repeatedly made clear that it stood with the state and Pakistan.
Gohar also criticised the imprisonment of Imran Khan’s sisters, saying they were not involved in politics and that their detention was unjustified.
Separately, Noreen Niazi said Barrister Salman Safdar had told her that Imran Khan was aware of the emergency and the imposition of Governor’s Rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
