'No use of holding talks with establishment', Imran Khan spurns Raoof Hasan's claims

• Imran rebuffs PTI spox's statement, says Hasan had some misunderstanding.
• Hasan claimed PTI prepared for "inevitable" dialogue with establishment.
• Incarcerated former premier alleged establishment deceived his party.

Jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has rebuffed the claims of his party's chief spokesperson that the embattled opposition is ready to hold talks with the establishment.

The former ruling party's spokesperson Raoof Hasan had claimed that a dialogue between his party and the establishment is inevitable for which PTI is prepared.

Speaking to journalists at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail on Thursday, the PTI founder said there is no use in holding talks with the establishment.

The cricketer-turned-politician said that Hasan had some misunderstanding, adding that he gave a clear message after the Islamabad power show that his party would not hold talks with anyone.

Prior to Khan's statement, the PTI spokesperson had told a private television channel that the Imran-founded party was ready for talks with the establishment yesterday and was prepared even today for this exercise.

"It has been PTI's policy that we want to engage with the establishment and I will go a step ahead to say that dialogue between my party and the establishment is inevitable for this state and we must not delay this,” Hasan contended.

He advocated the initiation of dialogue so that solutions to the country's problems and challenges could be found and Pakistan taken forward.

He disagreed with the questioner that, currently, the policy of establishment was not to engage with PTI and added they have engaged with his party and why he should not be hopeful that they would again engage.

Hasan, however, maintained that a conducive environment would have to be created for which both sides would have to make efforts.

Earlier this month, Khan had closed his doors to talks with all the parties, including the establishment, signalling a hardened stance amidst the ongoing political turmoil.

He also alleged that the establishment had deceived them, and he was closing the doors to negotiations with all the parties.

Separately, in another development today, Hasan was replaced by Sheikh Waqas Akram as PTI's central information secretary.

The former PTI information secretary has now been appointed as the head of the party's policy think tank over the directives of the party founder, as per a notification issued today.