PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Monday said no negotiations were currently taking place with the government, although political dialogue remained necessary to reduce tensions and move matters in a positive direction.
Speaking to the media at the Adiala Road-Dahgal checkpoint, Gohar said the atmosphere surrounding possible back-channel contacts appeared “somewhat subdued” this time.
“There are no negotiations with the government at this time,” he said, adding that political problems should be resolved through political means.
Gohar called for positive steps to reduce tensions and said confrontation would only further complicate the political situation.
He strongly criticised the treatment of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi during his visit to Lahore, saying the provincial chief executive had received a warm public reception but was not provided appropriate security.
Gohar claimed that police took Afridi away in a vehicle and dropped him at an intersection, describing the move as inappropriate and humiliating.
“Sohail Afridi is the chief minister of a province. The police should not have taken such an aggressive step,” he said.
He said taking a provincial chief minister even a single step in a police vehicle in such circumstances amounted to humiliation and warned that such treatment could increase political resentment.
“What happened in Lahore last night was wrong,” Gohar said.
He demanded that Punjab Chief Minister and Punjab Police apologise over the episode.
Gohar said it was the responsibility of provincial authorities to provide security to the chief minister of another province while he was visiting their jurisdiction.
He reiterated that PTI intended to remain peaceful and said the party was campaigning for its rights and justice.
“We have repeatedly said that we are peaceful and will remain peaceful,” he said.
Turning to the health of the PTI founder, Gohar said a Supreme Court order had directed that he be shifted to a hospital and that a medical board should be constituted, but he claimed those directions had not been implemented.
He said PTI had consequently filed contempt of court petitions in the Supreme Court.
Gohar questioned what he described as uncertainty over which judicial forum should hear the matter and said the PTI founder’s health issue should not be “tossed back and forth between courts like a football”.
He said the Supreme Court regularly heard criminal matters and criticised the indefinite adjournment of proceedings by the constitutional court.
“If the constitutional court intended to hear the case itself, it should not have adjourned it indefinitely,” he said.
Gohar said PTI disagreed with the constitutional court’s position and maintained that it should not hear the matter.
He again stressed that political disputes required political solutions instead of prolonged litigation.
Gohar also addressed the controversy surrounding political questions related to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief ministership, saying the appointment of a provincial chief minister was fundamentally a political matter.
He said courts did not decide academic or political questions and argued that the principle was well established.
Referring to the PTI founder, Gohar said he remained the head of the party and had made decisions regarding the chief ministership of both Ali Amin and Sohail Afridi.
Commenting on the wider political situation, he said Pakistan had demonstrated its defence strength in May 2025 and that attention should now turn to establishing political and economic stability.
“The world witnessed that Pakistan is a formidable defence power,” he said.
Gohar alleged that police were conducting raids at the homes of PTI workers and leaders and had camped outside residences of party figures in Punjab.
He further claimed that homes of some PTI leaders had been sealed and their electricity connections disconnected.
Such measures, he warned, would worsen the political atmosphere rather than ease tensions.
Gohar also announced PTI’s support for Jamaat-e-Islami’s protest and march against inflation but clarified that the two parties would organise their marches separately.
He said Jamaat-e-Islami’s emir had stated that his party would not join the PTI march but would participate in an All Parties Conference.
Gohar said PTI expected a large turnout for its planned September 27 mobilisation because of what he described as the party’s strong public support.
He insisted that PTI had no intention of storming Islamabad or blocking roads.
“We will neither storm Islamabad nor block the roads,” he said.
He said PTI supporters would approach from one direction while keeping routes open for the general public.
“We will come unarmed. We seek justice, as we are patriotic citizens,” he added.
Gohar also assured the government that PTI would neither use Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s provincial machinery for its political mobilisation nor disturb public order.
“We will come this time as well without relying on government machinery,” he said.
He warned the government against allowing political disputes to escalate into confrontation between provincial police forces.
“Do you want the police forces of two provinces to clash over the sworn statements of the IG and the chief secretary?” he asked.
Gohar said matters should not be complicated by excessive reliance on courts and repeated that political engagement offered a better route to resolving disputes.
Responding to questions on security, he said terrorism should not become a subject of political point-scoring.
“There should be no politics over the issue of terrorism,” he said.
He said all political and state actors should work towards improving law and order across the country, regardless of which province faced security challenges.
“If the law and order situation in any province is not satisfactory, everyone should strive to improve it,” Gohar said.
He expressed hope that security conditions would improve throughout Pakistan and said stability in one province should be seen as a positive development for all others.
Reporter: Irshad Qureshi