PTI Offers to Cancel Protest if Allowed Meeting with Imran Khan; PML-N Rejects Demand

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has outlined a condition to cancel its planned protest on October 15, but the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has rejected the proposal. The PTI’s protest coincides with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, scheduled for October 15-16 in Islamabad.

The federal government, along with its allies, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), urged the PTI to reconsider the protest date, citing the clash with the high-profile SCO summit. In response, PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram, during an appearance on Geo News’ program “Naya Pakistan,” proposed that the protest would be called off if PTI’s leadership is allowed to meet with party chairman Imran Khan.

“You can open the jail for a rally, so if you’re concerned about the SCO, allow a meeting with Khan. If his sisters and doctors confirm he’s in good health after the meeting, there will be no protest,” Akram stated. He emphasized that the party leadership was deeply concerned about Imran Khan’s health, claiming that authorities had made the former prime minister “incommunicado” and were not allowing any meetings with him. The proposed meeting, Akram explained, would take only 10-15 minutes.

Reports of internal disagreements within PTI regarding the protest were dismissed by Akram. He denied claims that certain leaders, including PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, opposed the rally, while others, such as Hammad Azhar and Salman Akram, supported holding it.

Additionally, PTI has submitted a letter to the Ministry of Interior, requesting permission for Barrister Gohar and Hamid Raza to meet Imran Khan. The letter noted that the last meeting with the PTI chairman took place on October 3.

Despite PTI’s request, the ruling PML-N remains firm in its rejection of the proposal, heightening tensions as the protest date approaches amidst the critical SCO summit.