LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has rejected reports that the party postponed its September 27 long march because of backchannel contacts with the government.
Speaking to the media in Lahore, Raja said the government had not given PTI any clear indication of negotiations after the postponement of the march. He said the party had, however, decided to give the government additional time to reconsider its decisions.
Raja maintained that the September 27 long march was postponed as a decision taken by the party itself and was not the result of any backdoor communication with the government.
He said that if any communication or discussions took place, PTI leaders Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Mahmood Khan Achakzai were available for coordination. He added that not every political contact necessarily becomes public immediately.
The PTI secretary general said the recent wave of terrorism required all sides to sit together and find a way forward through dialogue. He said that if negotiations resulted in an agreement, the party would respect and implement the decision.
Raja also reiterated PTI’s demand regarding the party’s founder, saying the party wanted Imran Khan to be transferred to Shifa International Hospital for medical treatment. The issue of Khan’s healthcare has remained one of the central points in PTI’s political campaign.
