Pakistan’s Imran Khan demands ‘time frame’ for progress in talks with government

People walk past a banner with a picture of the former Prime Minister Imran Khan outside the party office of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), in Lahore, Pakistan on February 9, 2024. (REUTERS/File)

• The jailed ex-premier seeks a meeting with his negotiating team to get the details of the process
• Government asked Khan’s PTI to bring its demands in writing in the next round of talks on Jan. 2

ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday called for a “time frame” within which negotiations with the government should progress and the demands of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, including the release of political prisoners, should be addressed.
Khan’s message was conveyed by Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, chairman of PTI, after meeting the ex-premier at a high-security prison in Rawalpindi. The former prime minister, who has been imprisoned for over a year on charges he claims are politically motivated, has threatened to launch a civil disobedience movement by urging overseas Pakistanis to halt remittances if his demands are not met.
Khan’s demands include the release of all PTI political prisoners and the establishment of judicial commissions to investigate violent protests on May 9 last year and Nov. 26 this year, which the government claims involved PTI supporters.
His insistence on a time frame comes just a day after the government initiated formal negotiations with the PTI, asking it to bring all its demands in writing.
“I informed Khan Sahib about the negotiations that have started,” Gohar said while speaking to the media after the meeting. “Khan Sahib said it’s a good thing that negotiations are taking place, but there should be a time frame within which progress should be made.”
Asked about the exact time frame he had in mind, Gohar said Khan had not specified one, only emphasizing that progress on his party’s demands should happen “as soon as possible.”
He described his interaction with Khan as a “routine meeting” lasting half an hour.
Gohar said PTI plans to present its charter of demands in the next round of talks, scheduled for Jan. 2, and expressed hope for meaningful results.
Meanwhile, Khan reiterated his stance through a post on X, formerly Twitter, calling for his nominated negotiation team to meet him.
“To make the negotiation process meaningful, it is important that I meet with my nominated negotiation team so that I can have a proper understanding of what is going on,” he said.
The ex-premier maintained that his party would postpone the civil disobedience movement if its demands were implemented but expressed skepticism about the government’s willingness to investigate the May 9 and November 26 incidents.
“We will not allow that to happen,” he added.