Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has said the meeting with party founder Imran Khan at Adiala Jail was a procedural necessity rather than a favour, it was reported on Tuesday.
Speaking to the media at Factory Naka on Adiala Road, Salman Akram Raja said the meeting had become necessary because cases against the PTI founder were not progressing.
He said Barrister Salman Safdar had informed the court that he would not present arguments until he was allowed to meet Imran Khan.
Raja said the meeting was primarily legal in nature and that the party would decide its future legal course of action after consultations.
He quoted Salman Safdar as saying that Imran Khan was in high spirits in jail and remained firm in his position.
He clarified that no political breakthrough was expected from the meeting, noting that progress on political matters would require a separate meeting of a political nature.
Regarding reports of a possible forward bloc within PTI, Raja said he did not foresee such a development but added that no possibility could be completely ruled out.
He said anyone deviating from the party founder’s position would face political consequences.
He also clarified that social media accounts operating from abroad were not connected with the party or its policies.
Only the official spokesperson and their team, he said, were authorised to issue statements on behalf of PTI.
Commenting on Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Raja said PTI was not treating him as a saviour but believed that those willing to work together within the existing political system should not be rejected.
Raja claimed that Maulana had his own political agenda and street power, while PTI had no formal alliance with his party.
Raja said Imran Khan was aware of the developments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the collapse of the provincial government.
However, he told that the PTI founder was not regularly receiving newspapers or television access in jail, but at the same time, Bushra Bibi had access to both.
He rejected the impression that Imran Khan had expressed disappointment over the political developments in KP or the end of the provincial government.
On negotiations with the government, Raja said the talks had been a formality and had not failed because of PTI.
He said the party could not give the government a blank cheque for military operations against terrorism or support drone strikes that could displace large numbers of people.
Salman Raja maintained that PTI was ready to work with the state to counter terrorism but opposed measures that could harm innocent citizens or force them from their homes.
Referring to the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he spoke about displaced families, missing persons and reported drone strikes in areas including mosques, wedding gatherings and religious seminaries.
Raja said PTI had proposed a meeting of political leaders and parties within 72 hours during negotiations to discuss ways to tackle terrorism.
He added that the National Action Plan did not call for drone strikes or the displacement of people.
He said dialogue with the government remained possible at any time, provided it was conducted on principles. “We are always prepared to engage in dialogue, provided it is based on principles,” he said.
Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan also spoke to the media about the meeting, describing it as a welcome development after a prolonged suspension of meetings with the party founder.
Gohar said the meeting was the first since April 8 and had taken place after 380 days.
He said restricting a prisoner’s access to family members for 15 days amounted to a human rights violation and argued that allowing regular meetings could have helped ease political tensions.
The barister said he had consistently tried to facilitate meetings for political figures and had proposed that Allama Nasir Abbas also be included.
When a political meeting could not be arranged, he said, he helped facilitate a meeting for Salman Safdar, which eventually took place.
Gohar rejected reports that his name had been specifically finalised for the meeting.
He also said there had been limited political discussion during the meeting with Imran Khan.
He denied reports that the PTI founder had described the end of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government as a positive development and said no such conversation had taken place.
The PTI chairman also referred to the case concerning the recovery of the KP chief minister and provincial assembly speaker, saying the matter had been referred to a larger bench of the Peshawar High Court and that a hearing was expected soon.
Gohar underlined political tensions needed to be reduced and urged government and opposition representatives to choose their words carefully.
He added that PTI had repeatedly stated that it stood with the state and Pakistan.
He also criticised the imprisonment of Imran Khan’s sisters, and quoted they were not involved in politics and that their detention was unjustified.
Separately, Noreen Niazi said Salman Safdar had informed her that Imran Khan was aware of the emergency and the imposition of Governor’s Rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
She also rejected the claim that the PTI founder had welcomed the end of the provincial government, claiming no such remarks were made during the meeting.
