ISLAMABAD: With the “sword of civil disobedience hanging on its neck” and the embattled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) refusing to “beg for negotiations,” the incumbent administration has ruled out talks with the party.
Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly on Tuesday, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif stated, “For the first time, a pleasant breeze came from the opposition… but talks cannot be held at gunpoint.”
In a post on X, imprisoned PTI founder Imran Khan threatened to start a “civil disobedience” movement if his demands—a judicial investigation into the May 9, 2023, riots, and the November 26 crackdown on PTI protestors, as well as the release of the party’s “political prisoners”—were not fulfilled.
A five-member negotiation group was also established by the departed prime minister.
