Gandapur reveals PTI’s backdoor contacts with establishment

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has claimed that they had received a proposal to transfer the incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan from Adiala Jail to any other location including his personal residence at Bani Gala, scenic Nathia Gali or the K-P Chief Minister House.

However, there has been no progress on the proposal as Imran insists that first all the detained PTI workers be released, Gandapur said while talking to reporters in Peshawar, according to a report.

The K-P chief minister, who belongs to the PTI, made the “revelation” amid rumors of backdoor talks between the beleaguered former ruling party and the establishment.

Interestingly, a day earlier, one of Imran’s lawyers, Faisal Chaudhry, revealed that Imran had written a letter to army chief General Asim Munir, criticizing the establishment’s policies and calling for a review of its approach towards national security and governance.

Earlier, in December the ruling PML-N and the PTI agreed to hold talks with each other to resolve a longstanding political crisis. However, the PTI last week called off the talks process and dissolved its negotiation committee.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif strongly refuted Gandapur’s claims, calling them “99% false”.

Speaking to a private news channel he said, “There was never any discussion about shifting the PTI founder to another place. This seems more like PTI’s own wishful thinking rather than reality.”

He also rejected rumors of backdoor talks, stating that if there had been any backdoor negotiations or offers from the establishment, Imran Khan would not have felt the need to write a letter to army chief General Asim Munir. “This letter is basically an appeal to go easy on him,” he added.