Achakzai says access to Imran Khan could help lower political tensions

ISLAMABAD: Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai has said that permitting meetings with PTI founder Imran Khan could contribute to reducing political tensions, arguing that those deciding access to the jailed former prime minister hold an important lever for de-escalation.

Speaking at a brunch with a small group of senior journalists, Achakzai said an opportunity should be created to meet Imran Khan and seek a way forward from the current political deadlock. He said the continued restriction on meetings had worsened the situation.

In remarks that appeared directed at the country’s power centres, Achakzai said that if the curbs on meetings with Imran Khan were removed, he might be able to persuade him to engage constructively in dialogue with the other side and soften his rhetoric, which he said had so far obstructed efforts to find a political off-ramp.

Achakzai, who also leads the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, was asked how he intended to create political space for PTI or build enough leverage to secure a role in any talks. He did not give a clear answer on that point.

He also did not appear supportive of the idea of directly seeking concessions through negotiations with the establishment. Instead, he advocated wider political engagement and proposed a national government focused on constitutional supremacy, respect for the rule of law and the judiciary, parliamentary supremacy, and freedom of the press.

Achakzai said that although some people might disagree with the idea, an 18-month national government comprising PTI, PML-N and PPP could help prepare the ground for the future of democracy in Pakistan.

Proposal for broader political engagement

When asked whether he had discussed this proposal with PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, whom he described as a friend, Achakzai said their most recent contact had taken place during a parliamentary sitting. He said he had congratulated Nawaz Sharif there on Maryam Nawaz becoming chief minister of Punjab.

He added that there had been no communication since then and said Nawaz Sharif, like others, was also constrained within the existing arrangement.

Senior political journalist Mujeeb Ur Rehman Shami, who was present at the brunch, said Nawaz Sharif should have invited Achakzai to his residence as a matter of courtesy, considering his stature and the fact that he was in Lahore.

Asked whether he could ensure support from PTI leaders and Imran Khan’s sisters for his efforts if he were allowed to meet the former premier, Achakzai said the restoration of meetings would itself help remove internal reservations within the party.

He was also asked whether his approach resembled the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s earlier strategy of combining public pressure with backchannel contacts. Achakzai rejected that comparison and said it would be wrong to assume he was in touch with powerful quarters simply because others had followed such an approach in the past.

Achakzai also said pushing the country’s most popular leader to the sidelines was harmful to national cohesion.