ISLAMABAD: A senior leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has said the party’s jailed founder Imran Khan does not want to secure his release through a negotiated deal similar to that of Nawaz Sharif, citing political costs and concessions linked to past agreements.
Read More: PTI forms new force to secure Imran’s release as TTAP ends sit-in
PTI’s Barrister Umair Niazi said that entering negotiations for release would require major compromises. “When you sit in these kinds of negotiations, you have to give many concessions too. The biggest example before us is of Nawaz [Sharif],” he said, arguing that the former premier had to leave practical politics and go into exile after signing an agreement. Asked whether Imran avoided a deal to prevent a similar outcome, Niazi replied: “It is exactly that kind of situation.”
عمران خان نے ڈیل سے انکار کیوں کیا ؟
حامد میر کا بیرسٹر عمیر نیازی سے سوال pic.twitter.com/aFKsSXvam0— Geo News Urdu (@geonews_urdu) February 18, 2026
Imran has been in jail for more than two years amid multiple legal cases, while PTI has staged protests and marches since 2023 demanding his release. Several rounds of talks with the ruling coalition in early 2025 — mediated by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq — ended without agreement after PTI withdrew, accusing the government of failing to establish judicial commissions on the May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024 incidents within the party’s deadline.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif later offered a parliamentary committee to continue dialogue, but PTI rejected the proposal. Meanwhile, PML-N Senator Rana Sanaullah has called for sustained contact among key political leaders — including Nawaz, Shehbaz, President Asif Ali Zardari and Imran — to enable any breakthrough.
Read More: KP CM Afridi unveils ‘Imran Khan Release Force’
On related developments, PTI leaders dismissed reports of backchannel contacts behind recent sit-ins being called off, saying protests paused due to court orders and Ramadan. Party officials said any future mobilisation, including a proposed “Imran Khan Release Force”, would resume after Ramadan.