Talks with PTI only possible on ‘legitimate’ demands: PM Shehbaz

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday stated that dialogue with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is possible only on “legitimate” demands, warning that attempts at blackmail under the guise of negotiations will not be accepted.

Addressing the federal cabinet, the prime minister said PTI founder Imran Khan and his associates had discussed holding talks. He noted that he had previously invited PTI leaders for dialogue, including on the floor of the National Assembly.

“Discussions could only be held on legitimate demands. Blackmailing will not work under the guise of negotiations,” he emphasized.

His remarks came days after PTI’s jailed leader, Imran Khan, dismissed Mahmood Khan Achakzai’s call for dialogue. A post on Khan’s X handle urged Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to prepare for a street movement, stating that “the entire nation must rise for their rights.”

PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram told The News that the party will follow Imran Khan’s directives. He said Achakzai may pursue his own political initiatives, including dialogue, but PTI leaders are bound to implement Khan’s instructions. According to Akram, Khan has asked the KP chief minister to prepare for a protest movement emphasizing the rule of law and the supremacy of the Constitution.

A federal government source had earlier stated that no meaningful dialogue is possible with PTI unless the party expresses regret or apologizes for the May 9 incidents and anti-army campaigns carried out via its social media channels.

Earlier, at a national conference of the opposition alliance, Mahmood Khan Achakzai criticized the state of the Constitution, calling it “reduced to tatters,” and urged former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to step forward and initiate dialogue to steer the country out of crisis.