ISLAMABAD: A senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has said that the party’s founder Imran Khan does not wish to secure his release through a negotiated deal similar to that of Nawaz Sharif.
Speaking on Geo News programme Capital Talk, PTI’s Barrister Umair Niazi said that negotiations often require significant concessions, citing Nawaz Sharif’s case as an example.
“When you sit in such negotiations, you have to give many concessions. The biggest example before us is Nawaz,” Niazi said. He added that Nawaz had to “pay a price” by stepping away from practical politics, leaving the country and signing what he described as a paper deal.
Responding to a question from host Hamid Mir on whether Imran was avoiding a deal because he did not want to “become Nawaz,” Niazi replied: “It is exactly that kind of situation.”
Imran Khan has been incarcerated for more than two years, and his party has repeatedly demanded his release. Since 2023, the PTI has staged multiple marches towards Islamabad, though these attempts were met with crackdowns and arrests.
In early 2025, several rounds of negotiations were held between the PTI and the government, mediated by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. However, the talks collapsed after the PTI withdrew, alleging the government failed to form judicial commissions on the May 9, 2023 and November 26, 2024 incidents within the agreed seven-day timeframe under its “charter of demands”.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also offered to constitute a parliamentary committee to move the dialogue forward, but the PTI rejected the proposal.
Meanwhile, PML-N Senator Rana Sanaullah has emphasised the need for trust-building among Pakistan’s top political leadership, saying that meaningful progress would require sustained contact between key figures, including Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari and Imran Khan.
No meetings during Ramadan?
During the same programme, Rana Sanaullah was asked about Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister’s announcement of forming an “Imran Khan Release Force” to push for the former premier’s freedom. He remarked that “nothing will happen after Eid.”
When questioned whether Imran’s meetings with lawyers and family members could be restricted during Ramadan in the event of any street agitation, Sanaullah responded that such an outcome was “understood”.
Barrister Niazi, however, said he was unaware of any formal consultations within the party regarding such measures. He stressed that Imran Khan has given full authority to National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas to lead negotiations and oversee protest decisions.
No backdoor contacts, says KP aide
Separately, speaking on Geo News programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath, Special Assistant to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister on Information Shafiullah Jan rejected speculation of any backdoor contacts with the government following the calling off of recent sit-ins in Islamabad and KP.
He said the protests were ended in compliance with orders from the Peshawar High Court and due to the arrival of Ramadan.
“We are thinking about something else, planning something else. We will come again, God willing, after Ramadan,” he said, hinting at a renewed movement.
Dismissing scepticism within party ranks about the proposed “Imran Khan Release Force,” Jan said the responsibility for street mobilisation had been entrusted to the KP chief minister. He described the initiative as a peaceful platform open to all young people, regardless of party affiliation.
“There will be formal membership, an oath will be taken, and it will not be a political wing. The day Imran is released, this force will be dissolved,” he added.
