ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Wednesday called for unconditional negotiations with the government, saying dialogue should continue regardless of the party’s ongoing long march towards Islamabad.
Speaking to reporters at Parliament House, Gohar said the government and PTI should remain engaged in talks and that negotiations should not be suspended even if the protest caravan reached the federal capital.
He said there was no question of the long march stopping short of Islamabad, as the party planned to proceed with its announced route.
“Why wouldn’t the long march come to Islamabad?” Gohar said, adding that the procession would move from Peshawar towards Khyber and then proceed to Pir Wadhai in Rawalpindi.
He said participants from different parts of the country, including Jamrud, would join the march along the way.
Asked about his own participation, the PTI chairman said he could depart for the protest container on Thursday or travel to Peshawar to meet Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. He said he would join the march from whichever location the party leadership instructed.
Gohar also announced plans to meet Awami National Party (ANP) leader Aimal Wali Khan and extend an invitation to him for an All Parties Conference (APC).
Gohar opposes emergency, governor’s rule in KP
Discussing the political situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gohar termed it “very serious” and warned against taking any steps outside the constitutional framework.
He said the province could not afford unconstitutional or unlawful measures, calling for political dialogue to resolve the situation.
The PTI leader opposed the imposition of governor’s rule or an emergency in KP, insisting that all decisions should be taken in accordance with the Constitution and law.
‘Talks should have no preconditions’
Gohar said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s offer of negotiations was linked to ending the PTI’s protest, whereas the party had already constituted its own negotiating committee before the government extended its offer.
He urged the government not to attach conditions to the dialogue process.
“Negotiations should be unconditional,” he said, stressing that talks should continue until the two sides reached a solution.
Gohar said the PTI expected its long march to reach Islamabad around October 11 or 12, leaving room for further negotiations between the government and the opposition.
