LAHORE (MNN); Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday rejected the impression that it was seeking dialogue with the government from a position of weakness, saying negotiations would only be possible after creating a level-playing field through a street movement.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, along with PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja, said the party leadership was in Lahore on the instructions of jailed founder Imran Khan to launch a fresh protest drive.
Speaking to senior journalists at a private residence in Lahore’s Defence Housing Authority, CM Afridi said dialogue without resistance would only weaken the opposition. He said protests would continue until the government recognised the opposition as an equal stakeholder and agreed to meaningful talks.
Afridi said PTI would avoid making exaggerated claims this time and instead focus on practical steps aimed at delivering concrete results.
Salman Akram Raja said no political party could afford to be pushed into a dead end, adding that the government wanted PTI to remain silent on alleged election rigging, Imran Khan’s imprisonment and institutional interference in politics and media.
He said dialogue could only begin once basic principles were agreed upon, otherwise the party would continue its street movement to have those principles accepted.
After the media interaction, CM Afridi attempted to visit the residences of party leaders in Lahore’s cantonment area but was stopped by authorities. He said he was not allowed to meet the families of incarcerated former Punjab governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema and advocate Hassan Niazi.
Afridi criticised the Punjab government’s conduct, saying he had been blocked repeatedly over the past three days and demanded written reasons for restricting his movement. Raja added that even an offer to visit without security personnel was rejected.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had offered talks with the opposition, saying dialogue could only proceed on legitimate issues.
Meanwhile, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari mocked PTI’s street movement, claiming it failed to attract public support despite social media hype. In a post on X, she said protesters received no response from the public and urged PTI leaders to return to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and focus on governance instead of holding ineffective protests in Lahore.
