Gohar seeks 'middle way' as Asif warns PTI against blackmail

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Thursday called for a “middle way” to revive talks with the government, as the party’s long march, led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, entered its fifth day and moved on towards Peshawar.

The government side hardened its tone. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned there would be no relief for jailed PTI founder Imran Khan if the party tried to “blackmail” the state, while Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon accused Afridi of sabotaging the talks.

Gohar: ‘Not your way, not my way’

“Not your way, not my way, but a middle way,” Gohar told a press conference in Charsadda, The Express Tribune reported. He said the PTI had joined the talks “with complete honesty, sincerity and good faith, without any conditions”, and regretted that they ended abruptly after two days. “There is still time,” he said.

Gohar also said:

• imposing governor’s rule or an emergency in KP would only increase anger and alienation in the province
• after the 18th Amendment the governor’s role was largely ceremonial and “does not have the authority to issue directions on the law-and-order situation”
• he “strongly” rejected claims that the PTI, its workers or its chief minister had ever supported terrorism
• the National Action Plan should be implemented and an all-parties conference held to build a single national narrative against terrorism

He also voiced concern over reports about the health of Bushra Bibi and asked to be told about her condition.

Asif: ‘No relief’ under pressure

Speaking to Geo News at Parliament House, Khawaja Asif said the government would not yield to pressure. “The government cannot be blackmailed by them under any circumstances,” he said, accusing the PTI of acting in concert with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

He challenged the party to condemn the TTP and its backers. “The rulers of Kabul are patrons of the TTP. Show me one statement of theirs against them,” he said, adding that terrorists were roaming freely in several KP districts. “If they resort to blackmail, I see no relief for [Imran Khan] in the future,” he said, urging the PTI to “come to the negotiating table and return home; take care of your province.”

Sharjeel: Afridi ‘sabotaged’ talks

In Karachi, Sharjeel Memon said the talks in Islamabad had been “result-oriented” and that draft agreements had almost been prepared before they collapsed. He blamed Afridi’s “stubbornness and ego”, and urged PTI leaders such as Gohar and Asad Qaiser to take decisions instead.

Memon said five of KP’s seven divisions were “completely in the grip of terrorism” and that the province’s priority should be protecting lives rather than sit-ins and long marches. His remarks came a day after Afridi accused the PPP of trying to create “another East Pakistan”.

The march route

According to PTI KP Secretary General Ali Asghar Khan, the convoy was due in Peshawar from Khyber on Thursday night. The march is set to reach Charsadda on October 9, Mardan on October 10 and Swabi on October 11, where the party will decide its next step.

The march began from Lakki Marwat on October 4 after talks with the government broke down, with counterterrorism policy and access to Imran Khan as the main sticking points.

This article draws on reporting by The Express Tribune and Geo News.