ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, currently incarcerated at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, expressed willingness to engage in direct dialogue with the country’s powerful stakeholders. He said he was ready for a “give and take” solely in the interest of Pakistan and national unity.
Speaking to party leaders on Thursday, Khan emphasized that his offer for dialogue was not for personal relief. PTI Senator Ali Zafar, after meeting Khan, told media that the former premier had clarified there was no personal gain involved and that he had endured 600 days in jail without seeking concessions.
Khan also denied recent remarks by his sister Aleema Khan suggesting a give-and-take deal for his release. Zafar said Khan wants justice and timely hearings of his cases, rejecting any notion of personal favors.
Khan’s renewed outreach comes amid continued political tensions and his party’s preparations for a protest campaign against the ruling PML-N-led coalition. Zafar said Khan warned that patience was running out and that no one would be allowed to play from “both sides of the fence.”
The PTI chief has been in jail since August 2023, facing corruption and violence-related charges which his party claims are politically motivated. His imprisonment remains a rallying point for the party and a core issue in its standoff with the establishment.
Recently, PTI leaders were notably excluded from a formal military dinner celebrating the success of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, Pakistan’s retaliatory response to Indian aggression.
