Jailed ex-Pak PM Imran Khan opens door for negotiations but declines 'striking deal' with opponents

Jailed former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan said that he has been open to having talks with the ruling regime for the past 18 months. However, the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) maintained that while he is open to holding negotiations he is not willing to strike a deal just yet.

The proclamation from the cricketer-turned-politician came while he was holding talks with journalists at the Adiala jail. During the presser, Khan mentioned that negotiations had always been part of politics. However, he made it clear that he was willing to hold talks with everyone but the three parties, i.e. PML-N, PPP and MQM-P.

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"Someone who wants to leave the country or avoid imprisonment makes a deal," he said, according to Geo News.

Who is Khan's pick for negotiation talks?

While emphasising the prospects of sitting at the negotiation table, Khan named Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Omar Ayub and Leader of the Opposition in Senate Shibli Faraz for holding negotiations.

“I have proposed these three names for talks and not a deal," the incarcerated leader reiterated. Khan also revealed to the media that his opponents are also mulling to launch a fourth case against him with regards to the Toshakhana debacle. He insisted that his opponents could hurl all the cases they wanted against him even if they did it all at once.

Khan's proclamation came a day after PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan claimed that his party was neither holding dialogues with anyone nor had any special message for talks.

Gohar urged the judiciary outside the Rawalpindi jail, to give judgements on his cases at the earliest and insisted that most of these cases are politically motivated.

However, after Khan's statement, Gohar reiterated PTI's openness to sit down and talk. “Ali Amin Gandapur, Omar Ayub Khan and Shibli Faraz have been given the go-ahead to hold talks, but not to strike a deal,” Gohar said, adding that they were to talk to anyone except three political parties.