Islamabad, Dec 26: A close aide of Imran Khan said on Thursday that the jailed former prime minister’s call to overseas Pakistanis to withhold remittances was still in place to coerce the government to accept his demands.
Last week, Khan threatened to ask his supporters to resort to civil disobedience and urge his overseas followers to stop sending remittances to the country, a key source of foreign exchange, amidst pressure on the current account payments.
However, he had initially put the call for civil disobedience on hold after talks began with the government to find a negotiated solution to the political problems faced by the country.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s negotiation committee spokesperson, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, met Khan in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi to discuss the issue talks before the next round planned for January 2.
Speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail, Raza said that Khan reiterated that the call to overseas Pakistanis to withhold remittances remains active as a protest against the alleged suppression of PTI’s rights, the suspension of civil and human rights, and what he described as the theft of the party’s electoral mandate.
“As a result, our call to halt remittances will remain in place,” Raza added.
He also said that the PTI would like to complete the talks by the end of next month. “The cut-off date for negotiations is January 31,” Raza said, adding that Khan’s party would give the deadline to the government on January 2, when its committee meets the government to continue the negotiations.
Raza also said that Khan was willing to forgive the acts of violence carried out against him. He also emphasised that the party’s demands remained the same, namely judicial probes into the events of May 9, 2023, and November 26 and the release of incarcerated party workers and members.
“We are held responsible for May 9 by the other side, we categorically say we are not responsible and the other side is,” he said. “To resolve this issue, we need a judicial commission by the SC’s senior-most judges so that there is a comprehensive investigation.”
Speaking about November 26, Raza said, “We maintain that live rounds were fired (by the authorities) and our exact data shows that to date, 13 people have been killed, 64 bullet injuries have been recorded and between 150 and 200 people are missing.”
Demanding an inquiry, Raza called the state’s heavy-handedness “an attack on Pakistan’s people and democracy” and said that those who ordered authorities to fire on PTI supporters were responsible.
Raza also reiterated that jailed PTI workers must be released. (PTI)
