PTI to Govt: Rebuild Trust First if Serious About Talks

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Wednesday set out its terms for dialogue with the government, demanding confidence-building measures before any meaningful talks. The party wants the reversal of what it calls unlawful steps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the restoration of its provincial mandate and the release of political prisoners.

PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said negotiations needed concrete action rather than political statements. “If the government was genuinely serious about dialogue, it should take steps to build trust,” he said in a statement. His message was blunt: PTI talks can only move forward if the government first takes steps to rebuild trust.

The call for PTI talks to rebuild trust comes as the party reels from the collapse of its protest march and the imposition of governor’s rule in KP.

PTI talks rebuild trust: the party’s demands

Akram demanded the reversal of measures the party considers unlawful, the restoration of its provincial government’s mandate and the release of political prisoners whose continued detention, he said, could not be legally justified.

He also called for the protection of PTI founder Imran Khan’s constitutional and fundamental rights. These include lawful meetings with his lawyers and family, fair and timely proceedings in his and his wife’s cases, and medical treatment under the supervision of his personal physicians in line with court orders.

Akram condemned raids on homes, detentions and pressure on elected representatives and party workers in Punjab and KP. He alleged these actions were meant to intimidate political opponents.

The statement follows signs that some in the party are open to re-engaging the government. PTI chief whip Malik Aamir Dogar has signalled that talks could resume, even as he dismissed reports of internal rifts, as reported earlier. That claim of unity now sits uneasily beside the open clash between Salman Akram Raja and Ali Amin Gandapur over the party’s KP leadership.

Rejection of Tarar’s claims

Akram rejected Information Minister Attaullah Tarar’s remarks about the party’s political standing. He challenged all ruling coalition parties to contest elections against the PTI under a single banner, saying they would face “crushing defeat in a free and fair contest, even today”.

On Tuesday, Tarar had said a formal ban on the PTI was no longer needed after the imposition of governor’s rule and an emergency in KP. He argued the party had “lost power” in the province because of security and counterterrorism failures.

Akram said the government’s “coercive measures and political pressure” had failed to dent the PTI’s public support. He called the party Pakistan’s “leading federal political force” and Imran Khan “the only leader enjoying widespread public support across the country”.

The federal government had been considering emergency steps in KP before the march failed, a debate covered in earlier reporting. Federal ministers have since defended governor’s rule as a step to restore order.

Prisoners and the province’s mandate

Rejecting governor’s rule and the emergency in KP, Akram called the measures “an attempt to undermine the province’s electoral mandate”. He said the party’s strength came from its connection with the people rather than control of government offices.

He added that no “handpicked administration should be allowed to dictate” the political future of around 50 million residents without respecting their democratic choices and constitutional rights. Decisions on the province’s governance, resources and future must involve its elected representatives and local population, he said.

The detention question remains central. Imran Khan’s sisters are among the high-profile detainees, and a plea for their release was recently moved before the Lahore High Court, as reported here.

What happens next

The ball is now in the government’s court. If it offers steps such as easing detentions or restoring normal administrative arrangements in KP, talks could gain traction. If it treats the PTI’s demands as preconditions it will not meet, the standoff is likely to harden, with the party’s internal divisions making a unified negotiating position harder to hold.

*Source: Dawn*

What is the PTI demanding before talks?

The party wants confidence-building measures: reversal of emergency steps in KP, restoration of its provincial mandate, release of political prisoners, and protection of Imran Khan’s legal and medical rights.

Who issued the statement?

PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram issued the statement on Wednesday, saying meaningful negotiations required concrete action rather than political statements.

What did Attaullah Tarar say about the PTI?

The information minister said a formal ban on the PTI was no longer needed after governor’s rule and an emergency were imposed in KP, arguing the party had lost power in the province. The PTI rejected the claim and challenged the ruling coalition to face it in elections.