The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) officials on Thursday dismissed reports that PTI founder Imran Khan had assigned Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and government spokesperson Barrister Saif the task of negotiating with the establishment.
The denial comes amid widespread speculation on mainstream and social media, claiming that Khan had instructed the K-P leadership to “re-engage” with the establishment during a recent meeting at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.
Barrister Saif, responding to the reports, stated: “Nobody was assigned a new task to hold negotiation with the establishment by the PTI founder.”
He clarified that the April 2 meeting between Khan and Gandapur revolved around governance, terrorism, and regional affairs, including the situation in Afghanistan. Saif added that Khan issued instructions to the K-P chief minister related to administrative matters.
According to Saif, Khan reiterated his stance of not engaging in any talks for personal benefit. “He would not talk to anyone for personal gains including securing release from jail,” he said, quoting the former prime minister.
The meeting marked the first interaction between Khan and Gandapur in nearly a month and a half, lasting over two hours. Discussions reportedly also touched upon institutional confrontations and criticism directed at the party leadership on social media.
Separately, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan had earlier refuted claims of any deal with the establishment. He stated that although contact had been reestablished, “final negotiations had not even begun,” and described speculation of a deal as “baseless” and disconnected from ground realities.
Echoing the party line, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram also rejected the reports, calling them “false claims” designed to mislead the public.
“No one went to convince the PTI founder to negotiate,” he told a private news channel, insisting that Khan had not tasked anyone with initiating talks.
Akram criticised efforts to twist facts for political advantage and said the meeting focused solely on the functioning of the K-P government and internal party matters. “Gandapur will present Khan’s directives before the party’s political committee,” he added.
