Barrister Saif dismisses reports of Imran seeking re-engagement with establishment

• Nobody assigned task to hold talks with establishment: Saif.
• Says Khan won’t talk to anyone for release, personal gains.
• False claims being circulated on media, says Waqas Akram.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif on Thursday rubbished media reposts claiming Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan assigned him and KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur the responsibility of negotiating with the establishment.

The clarification came as reports have been circulating on mainstream and social media that the jailed PTI founder tasked KP CM and Barrister Saif to “re-engage” with the establishment during a recent meeting between the former prime minister and the duo in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail.

Following the April 2 meeting, reports emerged that the KP CM and his aide convinced the PTI founder to engage in talks, after which Khan granted them the task.

KP CM Gandapur met Khan at Adiala Jail on Wednesday after nearly one and a half months. The two spoke for two and a half hours, discussing “institutional confrontations and criticism of party leadership on social media”.

Reacting to the speculations, Barrister Saif said: “Nobody was assigned a new task to hold negation with the establishment by the PTI founder.”      

During their meeting with Khan, he said that discussions were held on the government’s affairs, terrorism, and Afghanistan. The PTI leader stated that the former prime minister gave instructions to the KP CM regarding governance.

Quoting Khan, Saif said that he would not talk to anyone for personal gains including securing release from jail.

A few days back, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar dismissed speculations about a deal with the establishment, clarifying that the party had simply reestablished contacts.

The PTI chief had categorically said that final negotiations with the establishment had not even begun, and that the talk of a deal was baseless having no connection with ground reality.

PTI rejects reports of negotiations

Meanwhile, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram dismissed reports about the meeting, saying that false claims were being circulated.

"No one went to convince the PTI founder to negotiate," he told Geo News, refuting that Khan had tasked anyone with talks.

He condemned efforts to twist facts for the government's benefit and clarified that Khan's discussion with Gandapur revolved around provincial government and party-related matters.

"Gandapur will present Khan’s directives before the party's political committee," Akram added.

Aleema irked

Meanwhile, Aleema Khan, PTI founder's sister, has expressed concerns over restricted access to her brother.

Reacting to the PTI leaders' meeting with the ex-PM, Aleema lamented the selective enforcement of meeting restrictions, saying that jail authorities had categorically told them family meetings were not allowed during gazetted holidays.

"Yesterday, April 1, was a gazetted holiday, and we were not permitted to meet our brother. The last time we saw him was on March 20. On March 27, we were also denied access," she said in a post on X.

Aleema further asked why others were granted access while family members were restricted.

"Are the gazetted holiday restrictions only for family? We have not been allowed to meet Imran, and he is also barred from speaking to his sons."