Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday made it clear that PM Shehbaz Says Talks With PTI Only on Legitimate Demands, warning that no dialogue can move forward if it turns into pressure tactics or political blackmail. Speaking during a federal cabinet meeting, he stressed that negotiations remain possible only when demands stay within constitutional and legal boundaries.
The prime minister said PTI founder Imran Khan and his close aides have also spoken publicly about holding talks, but the government position remains unchanged. PM Shehbaz reminded the cabinet that he had already invited PTI leadership for dialogue on multiple occasions, including a formal offer made on the floor of the National Assembly. He said the government believes in political engagement, but it will not accept ultimatums disguised as negotiations. PM Shehbaz Says Talks With PTI Only on Legitimate Demands, and any attempt to use dialogue as leverage will fail.
His remarks came shortly after Imran Khan rejected a proposal for talks put forward by opposition alliance head Mahmood Khan Achakzai. In a message posted on his official X account, the jailed PTI founder instead called for street agitation and urged party leadership to prepare for a protest movement, asking the public to rise for what he described as their rights.
PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram later confirmed that the party would follow Imran Khan’s directive rather than pursue dialogue. He said the instruction for a protest movement came directly from the party founder and would remain the guiding policy. Akram added that while Achakzai may continue his own political efforts, PTI leaders must act according to Imran Khan’s line. He further claimed that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister has received instructions to prepare for protests in the name of constitutional supremacy and rule of law.
Meanwhile, sources close to the federal government have maintained a firm stance, saying meaningful engagement with PTI cannot take place unless the party expresses regret or offers an apology for the May 9 violence and the anti-army campaigns allegedly run through its social media networks. According to these sources, accountability remains a prerequisite for any serious political dialogue.
Over the weekend, Mahmood Khan Achakzai addressed a national conference of the opposition alliance where he claimed the Constitution had been torn apart. He appealed to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to step in and initiate talks to pull the country out of the current political crisis. However, the government response suggests that dialogue will only move forward on lawful terms, without pressure, threats, or street power politics.