- Political talk pleasing Pakistan’s enemies: Gohar.
- He says governor rule discussion creating unrest.
- Public losing hope amid political friction, he says.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the PTI founder “can never be minus”, insisting he remains the leader of a major political force backed by a significant portion of the population.
“The PTI founder is not the kind of leader you can even think of minus-ing,” he told Geo News outside Parliament House in Islamabad, urging political actors to “think democratically and think positively.”
Gohar then called on the authorities to facilitate a meeting between the PTI founder, Bushra Bibi, and their families.
“Arrange the meeting and you will see good things emerging instead of negative talk,” he said, asking whether Bushra Bibi’s family had ever spoken publicly after any meeting.
He criticised the political commentary and press conferences taking place, saying: “The talks happening right now will only make Pakistan’s enemies happy. Anyone who believes in democracy would not be able to sleep in this situation.”
He added that the public was looking towards leadership, but “we have become so entangled that people are losing hope.”
Turning to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gohar expressed surprise that KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi was “thinking about governor’s rule.” He added: “God willing, the governor’s rule will never be imposed in KP. We want stability and improvement in the province.”
Gohar said certain political voices were “provoking people to take the law into their own hands” and asked those advocating governor’s rule when they had ever advised the chief minister to correct any issue. “Everyone sits and says governor’s rule is coming — is this how you mock the people’s mandate?” he said.
‘Minus-one calls unjustified’
Political tensions have been on the rise since last week as the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, in a fiery press conference, assailed the PTI founder over his “anti-army” narrative.
The ISPR DG termed the PTI founder, a former prime minister, a “mentally ill person” and a threat to national security.
Following this, ministers ruled out negotiations with the PTI — insisting any talks must occur without Khan.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced a blanket ban on meetings with the PTI founder, who has been in jail since August 2023.
The minister stated that the government would only hold talks with the PTI in parliament, excluding the party’s founder.
“Come, apologise, and admit that your leader issued such filthy statements. Show remorse — only then can anything be reconsidered.”
The information minister said there was no option left except for the PTI to negotiate without the former prime minister.
However, PTI’s Senator Ali Zafar has reiterated the PTI’s call for dialogue, saying an environment must be created for that.
“The country is facing a delicate situation, and terrorism is taking place in Pakistan. The ‘minus-one’ formula cannot be applied in PTI,” he said while speaking to Geo News outside the Parliament House today.
Calling ‘minus-one’ unjustified, Senator Zafar said the PTI cannot move forward with anyone else. “Without its founder, PTI is nothing.”
