Imran Khan claims doors to establishment never shut: PTI sources

• Gohar Ali Khan, Senator Ali Zafar and lawyers meet Imran.
• PTI founder says current govt lacks any real authority.
• Imran claims dialogue initiative not about seeking favours.
  

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan has confirmed that he instructed the party's senior leader Azam Swati to initiate dialogue with the military establishment. 

Speaking to party leaders and lawyers during a meeting at Rawalpindi's Adiala jail on Tuesday, Imran emphasised that the outreach was not related to his legal cases but was done solely for the sake of Pakistan.

According to informed sources, Imran told his visitors that he has never closed the door on dialogue with the establishment. However, he clarified that his party had ceased talks with the current government, which he described as lacking any real authority. 

Those who met the PTI founder included PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Senator Ali Zafar and lawyers Zaheer Abbas, Mubashar Awan, and Ali Imran.

During the meeting, Senator Zafar sought Imran's response to a recent video statement by Swati. 

In the video, Swati revealed that Imran had directed him to engage with the establishment while keeping the nature of discussions confidential. Swati added that although Imran had been publicly critical of the military leadership, efforts were ongoing behind the scenes to restore dialogue.

In response, Imran reiterated that the dialogue initiative was not about seeking personal favours or legal leniency. “This is about Pakistan, democracy, the rule of law, and respecting the people’s mandate,” Imran was quoted as saying. 

He added that he is committed to fighting his legal battles in court and will not pursue any backdoor relief. Imran stressed once again that while he has ruled out talks with the government, he remains open to engagement with the military establishment.

Originally published in The News