PTI and TTAP reject NDC claims on Shah Mehmood Qureshi jail meeting

ISLAMABAD: Claims by the National Dialogue Committee that jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi had voiced unhappiness with the party’s current leadership and the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan have been rejected by both PTI and the alliance, even as some senior party figures acknowledged wider concerns about inadequate contact with imprisoned leaders.

The controversy followed a meeting at Kot Lakhpat Jail between an NDC delegation led by former PTI leader and ex-federal minister Fawad Chaudhry and three incarcerated PTI leaders. Qureshi complained that the present PTI leadership had left jailed leaders without sufficient support and was dissatisfied that the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan had not sought the input of senior imprisoned figures on key political and alliance matters.

PTI and TTAP both disputed that account and questioned the reliability of the committee’s version. At the same time, some senior PTI leaders privately accepted that the larger issue of weak engagement with jailed party figures was real and needed to be addressed. One senior PTI leader said the party was not asserting that Qureshi had made such remarks to Fawad Chaudhry or others, but maintained that the underlying problem remained genuine and that occasional meetings were not enough to recognise the sacrifices of those in prison.

Fawad Chaudhry’s account

Speaking, Fawad Chaudhry said PTI’s senior leadership was not meeting imprisoned leaders regularly and argued that the five senior PTI figures held in Kot Lakhpat Jail should lead both the party and any negotiations with the government. He said they possessed the political judgment needed to steer the party out of its current difficulties.

Fawad also said PTI’s movement had weakened and described a shift in its priorities. He said the political temperature would have to be lowered for any negotiations to proceed successfully. He further claimed that there were moderate elements within the ruling PML-N, naming Ayaz Sadiq and Rana Sana Ullah, who wanted normalcy to return. Asked whether the NDC had the backing of the establishment, he replied that permission for the delegation’s jail meetings itself suggested official support.

PTI and TTAP response

PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram dismissed the committee’s account and said the party did not recognise any National Dialogue Committee. He said PTI remained in regular contact with jailed leaders through lawyers and continued to receive messages, advice and complaints through that channel.

Referring to an earlier interaction between the committee and jailed leaders, Waqas accused Fawad of previously misrepresenting Qureshi’s position and said party representatives had later met Qureshi, informed him of what had been attributed to him, and that he had reacted with surprise and dismay. Waqas said the latest NDC claims should therefore be treated cautiously.

At the same time, Waqas agreed that imprisoned leaders should be engaged more consistently. He said Barrister Gohar had met Shah Mehmood Qureshi three times and Salman Akram Raja had recently met Yasmin Rashid, but added that such meetings should become part of a weekly routine and that more party leaders should visit jailed colleagues to acknowledge their sacrifices.

TTAP Information Secretary Akhundzada Hussain also rejected the impression that imprisoned leaders were being cut off. He said the alliance remained in regular communication through Qureshi’s legal counsel, Rana Mudasir, and continued to seek advice on important matters. He added that, unlike the NDC, TTAP did not receive permission for direct meetings with jailed leaders.

Concerns within the party

Despite the official rebuttals, several PTI leaders said that limited engagement with imprisoned leaders had created resentment within the party. One leader described the lack of meetings with jailed figures as a bitter reality that had generated ill will. Another said workers’ willingness to continue making sacrifices declined when they felt those sacrifices were no longer being recognised.

One PTI leader also described what he called a peculiar dilemma within the party: those outside jail were accused within the party ecosystem of having reached an understanding with the establishment, while those in prison were accused of having compromised and living comfortably behind bars. He cited Sahibzada Hamid Raza as an example, saying he had been effectively forgotten despite serving a 10-year sentence after struggling for Imran Khan’s cause.

NDC statement after the meeting

In a statement issued after the jail meeting, the NDC said its delegation, comprising Mahmood Molvi, Imran Ismail and Fawad Chaudhry, had met incarcerated PTI leaders at Kot Lakhpat Jail and held detailed discussions on the country’s political and economic crises.

The statement said the imprisoned leaders backed the committee’s proposed solutions and said dialogue was the only way forward. They emphasised national unity as essential to confronting terrorism. Shah Mahmood Qureshi appreciated Field Marshal Asim Munir’s role in international diplomacy and said there was now an urgent need to begin political dialogue inside the country to bring about political stability.

The NDC further said the jailed leaders advised PTI to support efforts aimed at advancing a political settlement and resolving outstanding issues so political tensions could be reduced and the release of political prisoners could become possible. They said allowing Imran Khan access to medical treatment and removing restrictions on meetings with him would help lower the country’s political temperature.