Mahmood Khan Achakzai, president of the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) and leader of the opposition alliance, has urged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to postpone its planned civil disobedience movement.
In an interview with Geo News on Saturday, Achakzai, who is also the chief of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), highlighted the importance of dialogue with the government to address the ongoing national political crisis.
Achakzai stressed that the discussions should focus on establishing a clear roadmap for the government’s resignation. He stated, “If problems can be resolved through dialogue, there’s nothing better. But if talks fail, the movement must continue.”
He further proposed that successful negotiations should lead to elections within four months. Additionally, Achakzai announced plans to visit Peshawar on PTI’s invitation to pray for the martyrs of Kurram and PTI.
Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar, speaking to the media in Islamabad, affirmed that no specific conditions had been set for negotiations, but the party did present its demands. He criticized the handling of the November protest, noting that while such incidents happen globally, no shots are fired, but here, tear gas was used before protesters even gathered.
Gohar reiterated PTI’s commitment to dialogue, recalling that the party’s founder, Imran Khan, had previously advocated for negotiations, but past talks were interrupted before reaching a conclusion.
He added, “Enough is enough. It’s time to move the country toward progress.”
PTI has threatened to initiate a civil disobedience movement if the government fails to engage in serious negotiations, a stance that has drawn criticism from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who called it “enmity with Pakistan.”
Imran Khan, the imprisoned PTI founder, also warned the government of launching a “civil disobedience” movement if his demands — a judicial inquiry into the May 9, 2023 riots, the November 26 crackdown on PTI protesters, and the release of political prisoners — are not met. He has formed a five-member negotiation committee to engage with the federal government on these issues.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif challenged PTI to stand firm on its civil disobedience threat after its failed attempts to “attack” the capital.
In an effort to ease political tensions, the former ruling party and the government agreed to use the parliamentary forum for negotiations. However, PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah revealed on Friday that the government had not yet received any formal communication from PTI about initiating dialogue, despite PTI’s claims of forming a negotiations committee.
Senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser clarified that his party was not currently engaged in talks with the government, rejecting reports suggesting that dialogue had begun.
