DID Press: Pakistan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and an opposition alliance led by Mahmood Khan Achakzai have announced a suspension of talks with the federal government, citing what they describe as efforts to politically marginalize the party and restrictions on access to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.
Gohar Ali Khan, PTI chairman, criticized extraordinary measures in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, saying organized efforts were underway to weaken and politically eliminate the party. He also described negotiations with the government as fruitless, citing a breakdown in communication with senior provincial officials.
Meanwhile, the opposition alliance known as the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (Movement for the Protection of the Constitution of Pakistan), led by Mahmood Khan Achakzai, announced after a joint meeting with opposition leaders that it would not resume talks with the federal government until its demands were met.
The alliance said permission to meet and speak with Imran Khan in prison was a precondition for returning to negotiations.The announcement comes amid continuing tensions between Pakistan’s opposition parties and the government over Imran Khan’s political status and the conditions under which PTI can operate.