PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has called for dialogue between the government and his party in Islamabad, urging authorities to avoid confrontation with political figures participating in the planned long march.
Speaking to the media in Parliament on Thursday, Gohar Khan said he could not comment on the Speaker’s remarks as he had not heard the exact words or the context in which they were made. “In such a serious situation, where a major political party is preparing for a long march, dialogue is essential,” he said.
Gohar Khan urged the government to stop using net launchers against political figures, saying political leaders should instead be heard and their grievances addressed. He also said the matter had turned into a “battle of egos” and urged the government to set aside its ego and find a way to restore peace.
“We do not want the public and the guardians of the law to confront one another,” he added, saying that PTI was taking to the streets peacefully to demand justice and have its voice heard.
Gohar Khan expressed that PTI had repeatedly appealed to the government but had neither been heard nor given justice, adding that no minister had claimed to have listened to the party or addressed its complaints.
Regarding the party’s program, he said PTI had announced its plan long ago, and it had not changed.
Speaking about Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, Gohar Khan said he has the confidence and support of PTI founder Imran Khan and the entire party. He said Afridi would remain the chief minister and stressed that the province’s elected government and assembly members must be respected.
He also alleged that there was an “undeclared Governor’s Rule” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying the province’s autonomy, people, mandate, chief minister, and assembly members must be respected.
Gohar Khan said political confrontation and the aggressive use of state institutions against political actors must end.
“We have repeatedly emphasized that we are peaceful,” he said.
The PTI chairman rejected what he described as a government narrative that the party would attack state institutions or Islamabad if it advanced. He said “we were peaceful, are peaceful, and will remain peaceful; we will not attack institutions or Islamabad.”
Gohar Khan urged the government to address these concerns, saying that pushing a major political party out of the political process could have serious consequences.
