ISLAMABAD After months of uncertainty and conjecture, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) eventually announced on Monday that Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, along with Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz, the leaders of the parliamentary opposition, will have discussions with the military establishment.
Following the hearing of a £190 million corruption case, PTI founding chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan verified their names to members of the media inside Adiala Jail.
When questioned about whether the PTI and the establishment were still in talks, Mr. Khan responded, “I have authorised Ali Amin, Omar Ayub, and Shibli Faraz for these dialogues.”
He clarified that these three leaders alone have the only authorization to negotiate with the establishment.
Mr. Khan argued that he had never degraded a governmental institution and that the court order prohibiting him from speaking negatively about institutions violates his core constitutional rights.
He expressed sadness that the Supreme Court was not considering a plea against human rights violations that was still pending. Mr. Khan expressed the expectation that on Tuesday (today), the uncertainty surrounding the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman appointment will be resolved.
He claimed that although PTI chief Sher Afzal Khan Marwat was first nominated for the position, he sought further discussions over the issue. He claims that the jail administration only allowed him 30 minutes for conversation, which is insufficient time for such a significant discussion.
The former prime minister supported the chief minister of Kashmir’s remark, which threatened to overrun Islamabad owing to unmet promises from the federal government, claiming that the federal government is not providing the province government with its fair share.
Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, the chairman of the PTI, had earlier denied having any backchannel discussions with the establishment when speaking to reporters outside of Adiala Jail. He declared, “We are not holding dialogue with anyone,” adding that Imran Khan might make a declaration in this respect. The PTI did not designate a leader to undertake negotiations with the establishment.
As for the PTI and the military establishment, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi stated he was not aware of any discussions or a “imminent deal.”
During a Monday appearance in Islamabad, he was questioned by reporters about the matter and said he lacked any such knowledge.
When questioned if the names of some PTI leaders had been removed from the ECL, he did not provide a clear response, just stating that names were removed in accordance with usual process.
court cases
Judge Nasir Javed Rana of the Accountability Court took the statements of four witnesses in the £190 million corruption reference, and one of the witnesses was cross-examined by the defense attorneys.
Twenty-five witnesses have testified in court thus far; sixteen of them have faced cross-examination.
Due to the lack of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) special prosecutor, the Islamabad High Court postponed hearing the bail petitions submitted by Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi in the £190 million corruption case.
The hearing on the bail petitions was recommenced by an IHC division bench consisting of Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri. Imran Khan’s attorney informed the court that he made the long trip from Lahore to be present at the hearing.
Even though he wasn’t feeling well, Justice Farooq showed up for the case’s hearing. He gave the prosecution notice that there would be no more postponements and that the bail petition would be decided on the merits by the court.
