LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) called for civil disobedience, but Atta Tarar, the minister of information, criticized the party’s proposal, calling its leader “disobedient since childhood.”
Mr. Tarar referred to PTI founder Imran Khan when he added, “The shameful call for civil disobedience has come from someone who once set fire to electricity bills.” “You have disobeyed since you were a young child.”
In the meantime, the PTI has made the decision to hold talks with the establishment, delaying its planned civil disobedience movement until the negotiations’ conclusion is known. This decision indicates a change in the party’s approach.
Speaking at a Christmas gathering in his district, Mr. Tarar stated that rather than using disruptive tactics like civil disobedience, the public wanted solutions to the inflation problem.
“The politics of violence and civil disobedience have been rejected by the populace. “The nation will no longer be plagued by disorder and mischievous behavior,” he declared. “The populace has and will continue to oppose such measures. “Miscreants will not succeed in their hidden goals,” he stated.
The minister further asserted that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was not committed to upholding law and order in the province, even as the federal government implemented the National Action Plan to combat terrorism.
Instead of addressing violence in places like Kurram, he claimed that funds were being redirected to create a false narrative.
“Imran-Minus formula is doomed to fail.”
The PTI, however, has reaffirmed that it is pointless to try to marginalize Imran Khan. The head of PTI Punjab, Hammad Azhar, said on Sunday that the “minus-Imran formula” had failed before and would fail once more.
Mr. Azhar stated in a post on his X account that Imran Khan is the “most significant political force” in the nation right now and that the PTI leader’s following had expanded despite his “illegitimate incarceration.”
Mr. Azhar claimed in a different tweet that the establishment’s important officials were also not in agreement. He claimed that one person was observed lavishing the PML-N leadership with attention, while another was offering hope to Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
He asserted that “if elections are held in a transparent manner, the parties they were supporting could not win a single seat, and none of these touts have the courage to become councillors.”
Conversations with the establishment
Sahibzada Hamid Raza, a member of the PTI’s negotiation committee, stated separately that the party preferred to negotiate with the “actual centers of power” as opposed to the government.
“The administration lacks the power to have substantive discussions. Mr. Raza, who is also the chairman of the Sunni Ittehad Council, told DawnNewsTV’s Nadir Guramani that talks will only be held with people who truly hold the reins of power.
He emphasized that the PTI has remained receptive to dialogue and has never ruled out talks with the establishment.
“We are not launching the campaign on December 14,” Mr. Raza explained in his explanation of the decision to postpone the civil disobedience effort. Negotiations must fail before the civil disobedience movement can begin.
“We will engage directly with those who have the authority to address our demands if the government is unable to meet them,” he continued.
