ISLAMABAD: Salman Akram Raja has questioned the credibility of any dialogue with the government, saying negotiations cannot be taken seriously if the party is denied access to its founder, Imran Khan.
Speaking to the media, Raja said that senior political figure Mahmood Khan Achakzai had clearly termed negotiations illogical in the absence of meetings with the PTI founder. He said barring contact with the party’s leadership while simultaneously calling for talks made no sense.
Raja said both PTI and Achakzai shared the view that meaningful negotiations were impossible without restoring meetings with Imran Khan. He added that only direct access to the party founder could lead to serious and constructive dialogue.
Referring to previous engagements, Raja recalled that talks held in December 2024 and January 2025 failed to produce any outcome. He remarked that those discussions lacked substance and reflected the government’s lack of seriousness.
He said that if the government genuinely wanted dialogue, it should first facilitate meetings with Imran Khan. Raja dismissed suggestions that there was any pressure being exerted on Achakzai, describing the demand for access to the PTI founder as natural and legitimate.
Raja further accused the government of violating basic human rights while publicly claiming to pursue negotiations. He said denying the right to meet the party leader undermined any claim of sincerity in the talks.
Rejecting the narrative that PTI was pleading for dialogue, Raja said the party was standing by its principles and would not compromise on them. He also questioned the legal justification for Imran Khan’s confinement, asking under what grounds he had been placed in isolated conditions.
He concluded by saying that sitting at the negotiating table without meeting the party founder would amount to accepting coercion, a position PTI was unwilling to take.
