ISALAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry has said PTI is not engaged in a “formal dialogue” with the government.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Thursday, Fawad said that informal talks may be taking place at certain levels, warning that the long march will be announced soon if elections are not declared.
When asked if the informal talks were going well, he responded “If elections are declared in the next few days, it means discussions were successful, and if the long march is announced, it means negotiations failed.”
According to the PTI leader, voters in recent by-elections supported PTI because they wanted new elections.
“Voters do not want us to go back to the Parliament,” he said, stressing that they want elections.
Fawad said the Supreme Court should form a commission to investigate the issue of audio leaks from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Imran warns of long march if election date not given in ‘few days’
Earlier this week, the PTI chairman said that if the election date is not announced by the government in a few more days, he will call the party’s long march toward Islamabad, warning that he would not delay it beyond October.
Imran said he wanted to give the government a few more days for the sake of the country.
In a separate development on Thursday, the Supreme Court gave the government a “free hand” to control the law-and-order situation. However, the apex court rejected the federal government’s request to issue an interim order against PTI chief Imran Khan to bar him from holding a long march.
The request’s dismissal came during the hearing of a contempt petition filed by the federal government against Imran for allegedly flouting the top court’s May 25 order regarding the party’s “Azadi March”.
The government requested a restraining order against the former prime minister in the same petition in order to prevent him from organizing a march at a time when flood victims desperately need aid.
However, the CJP gave the government a “free hand” to control the law-and-order situation. He also said the government may approach the court if there was any “issue” before next week.
The CJP told the AGP that he would have to present strong arguments, adding, “We are not political actors, and neither can we take political measures.”
