- Salman Akram Raja says dialogue cannot happen while Imran Khan remains isolated
- Condemns restrictions on street mobilisation, arrests of PTI workers, and deaths during protests
- Criticises government for denying judicial probes into May 9 riots and November 26 Islamabad march
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja on Thursday reiterated that no negotiations with the federal government will take place without party founder Imran Khan present, insisting that the party’s stance on dialogue is “very clear.”
Speaking on TV channel, Raja said, “You cannot come into our house, attack us, loot us and then invite us for negotiations,” he declared. “Give us an agenda, tell us what topics will be discussed. We cannot negotiate in Imran Khan’s absence. You cannot expect to put him in a black hole while everyone else talks and the Prime Minister eats biscuits. It will not happen like that.”
Raja recounted that between December 2024 and January 2025, the PTI had wanted Imran Khan to be present for talks, but this was not authorized. He also criticised the denial of judicial probes into the May 9, 2023 riots and the PTI Islamabad march on November 26, 2024.
“The plan seems to be an effort to bury the attack on voters on February 8, 2024, and move on from it,” he claimed, referring to the last general elections, which the PTI has repeatedly alleged were rigged.
When asked whether talks would happen on January 12, as suggested by Federal Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Raja said he was not aware of the date.
Addressing reports of differing party views on dialogue, Raja clarified that Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan were aligned. “This past Tuesday, Achakzai sahib and Aleema were present outside Adiala jail. Together, they spoke to the press. They’re saying the same thing: talks will only happen when the powers that be realise that the Pakistani people are tired of them and the system.”
Raja highlighted the difficult political environment, saying, “It’s a system where people are struggling to find livelihoods, health, and education. We need to express our displeasure. Achakzai had travelled from Islamabad to Lahore today for street mobilisation, but he was stopped several times along the route, several PTI workers were arrested, and sadly, someone died.”
He questioned how negotiations could occur under such circumstances: “How can talks happen in this environment if you are not willing to give even a little political space? You have denied two distinguished gentlemen passage from Islamabad to Lahore and turned Lahore into a battleground. And you want us to sit and talk? Negotiations do not happen in a graveyard or a jail; they require space.”
On December 23, 2025, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had reiterated his offer for talks with the opposition, emphasizing that dialogue could only proceed on “legitimate matters.” Since then, the PTI has said it will not attend, citing instructions from Imran Khan. Meanwhile, the TTAP opposition alliance, of which PTI is a member, has expressed openness to talks.
Last week, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said that “confidence-building measures” among the country’s five major political players would improve the overall political situation. “Two of them are my leaders, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Nawaz Sharif. The third is President Asif Ali Zardari, the fourth is [incarcerated PTI leader] Imran Khan, and everyone knows who the fifth is,” Sanaullah stated.
Responding to Sanaullah, PTI Chief Whip Malik Amir Dogar said the government should arrange a meeting between Achakzai, MWM chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, and the incarcerated PTI founder. “Hopefully, a path will be made,” he added.
