World News | 2 Senior Leaders of Imran Khan's Party Meet Pak Army Chief Gen Asim Munir to Ease Political Tensions

Islamabad, Jan 16 (PTI) Amid reports of two senior leaders of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party meeting army chief General Asim Munir, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Gohar Khan on Thursday confirmed meeting army chief General Asim Munir.

"Imran Khan has told the media... Yes, I have met him (the army chief)," Gohar Khan told mediapersons while replying to a query outside Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail after meeting the imprisoned leader.

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"Wherever I meet (someone), in whatever context, I say so only when Khan Sahib gives me instructions. Wherever I go, whatever way I do things, I do it for Khan Sahib. I do it according to his instructions and will," the PTI chairman said.

He also said that Imran Khan believed that the talks were essential for stability of Pakistan.

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"Khan Sahib said that talks are necessary for the stability of the country. Our doors were open for talks, but the doors of others were closed. If the talks move forward, stability will come to the country," he said.

Imran Khan, the 72-year-old founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), earlier told the media from jail that his party leaders met the army chief.

Separately, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said during a media interaction that he and Gohar Khan met the army chief and discussed security issues.

Responding to a question on backdoor negotiations, Gandapur said, "There is no need for backdoor talks when everything is happening in the open."

Reacting to the development, Pakistan minister Ahsan Iqbal told the media that if the meeting took place, it must have been in accordance with the law.

"Maybe the army chief told the prime minister because when the former meets [someone], he informs the prime minister," Iqbal said.

In a related development, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed a committee comprising members from all the ruling coalitions to review the demands submitted by the PTI.

PML-N leaders Irfan Siddiqui and Rana Sanaullah, who were part of a government delegation that held talks with the PTI, said in a press conference that the government and its allies will respond to PTI's written demands after consulting the other coalition parties.

"Some parts of the demands are like a chargesheet against the government, but we are not rejecting anything. We will respond to them after mutual consultations," Siddiqui said.

Sanaullah said the government delegation was serious in the talks, and will come up with its response.

The opposition put forward two main demands, including the formation of two judicial commissions to probe the May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024, protests, and "support" of the federal and provincial governments in bail, sentence suspensions, and acquittals of "political prisoners" identified by the PTI.

The PTI has asked the government to set up the judicial commissions within seven days, and set January 31 as the deadline for completion of dialogue.

Apparently, it may not be possible to meet the two deadlines, with Siddiqui saying the PTI should drop the January 31 deadline and let the talk process continue in good spirits.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)