Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Information and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Affairs Ikhtiyar Wali Khan said the government has shut all avenues of dialogue with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, warning that authorities are now “seriously considering” shifting Imran Khan from Adiala Jail.
Speaking at a news conference in Islamabad, he accused PTI of pursuing a strategy designed to destabilise the country, saying the party was hiding behind protests to fuel unrest. He said a “clear line” had now been drawn between “love for Pakistan” and “love for Imran”, as he criticised the former ruling party for targeting state institutions.
He said PTI had attacked the same army that, in his words, had elevated Pakistan’s standing globally. “The PTI founder’s tweet is something that neither PTI can swallow nor spit out,” he remarked, adding that the party’s Peshawar rally had failed to draw crowds despite nationwide calls for participation.
He also accused PTI of exploiting religion for political purposes, alleging that PTI was “using its politics to fuel terrorism”, claiming there was “no difference between TTP and PTI” because of what he called repeated attacks on the army and the judiciary. He said PTI wanted a judiciary similar to the one that formed the Panama Bench.
Questioning the party’s governance record, he asked what projects PTI had initiated while in power, criticising it for failing to establish a single major hospital or university in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa over 13 years.
He said even PTI leaders were avoiding retweeting their founder’s post, arguing that the party had damaged the country repeatedly, citing the events of May 9 and November 26. He said PTI had been “introduced” in 2013 and “imposed” on the country in 2018.
Khan claimed that no one in K-P was willing to contest on the “bat” symbol. Responding to questions on governor’s rule, he said democratic forces did not favour such actions. “If we had wanted to impose governor’s rule, we would have done so after the November 26 incident,” he said.
He accused PTI of practising the “politics of dead bodies”, alleging the party sought unrest and violence while the government refrained from such tactics. Pointing to alleged foreign links, he claimed PTI’s social media accounts were being operated from India and Israel, and that Indian media was promoting the “false narrative” of the PTI founder’s sisters.
Reiterating that all negotiation channels with the PTI founder were now closed, he said a line had clearly been drawn between loyalty to the state and loyalty to an individual. He added that the government had not branded anyone a traitor nor sought to ban any party, saying, “My choice is Pakistan; Pakistan will always live on.”
He criticised PTI’s weekly protest strategy, saying residents of Rawalpindi and Adiala Road were being inconvenienced. “What kind of method is this, where you make life miserable every week for the people?” he asked. “Children trying to reach school or return home face severe difficulties.”
He said it appeared PTI was “insisting” on having ‘Prisoner No 804’ moved to another province. “The government has begun seriously considering this,” he said, “because we will take every necessary step to protect the public from disruptions to their lives.”