• Fawad claims over a dozen lawmakers agree with him on need to ‘open channel with govt’; concedes he ‘doesn’t represent PTI’
• Qaiser says party ‘willing to talk to anyone’ if fair polls assured
• Ismail says no ‘minus-Imran formula’
LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Even as its founder remains locked up, and the party continues to lose ground, some former PTI members seem to have taken it upon themselves to end the isolation faced by their erstwhile party, proposing talks with the government and other parties to bring down political temperatures and pave the way for Imran Khan’s release.
Only a day ago, a number of ex-PTI leaders, including former information minister Fawad Chaudhry and ex-Sindh governor Imran Ismail, had called on party vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi at a Lahore hospital, ostensibly to seek his blessing for their campaign — an offer Mr Qureshi did not endorse, as per his lawyer.
On Sunday, Mr Chaudhry doubled down on his quest to revive the fortunes of the PTI, even as senior party leaders like Asad Qaiser maintained that both the party and its founder “will not compromise on their principles” even if they engage in a dialogue.
Speaking to Dawn, Fawad Chaudhry acknowledged that he and his colleagues did not have a mandate to engage with the government on behalf of the PTI. However, as a concerned citizen, he said he wanted the volatile political climate to stabilise.
According to the ex-PTI leader, his group will meet the National Assembly speaker and the Senate chairman next week to ask them to play a role in defusing political tensions.
He claimed that most seasoned PTI politicians and more than 15 MPAs had approached him to express their agreement that a government-PTI engagement was “highly necessary”. He urged the government to take the first step towards de-escalation by offering relief to imprisoned senior PTI leaders.
“If the government gives relief to the incarcerated Lahore and Gujranwala leaders, then these leaders could engage with the jailed Khan and lead a process of engagement,” he explained. “Imran Khan’s mandate is with the party leaders, who have been in jails for the past two years,” he acknowledged, referring to people like Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Dr Yasmin Rashid.
“If the government does not leave any stake for the opposition in the system, the opposition will be left with no option but to hold long marches, resign from assemblies and resort to other modes of protest,” he rued.
It may be noted that the government and opposition held a series of talks in the recent past, which did not prove fruitful.
“Until the three major players —Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari – and the establishment engage with the incarcerated seasoned politicians, no political engagement will be possible in a volatile situation,” he added.
Speaking about his “meeting” with Mr Qureshi and Ejaz Chaudhry, he said he planned to take these leaders on board in light of their letters from jail in which they had urged the party chief for dialogue to break the political deadlock. The incarcerated leaders had written a letter to their jailed chief to consider a dialogue with other political parties instead of insisting on only talking to the military establishment.
Downplaying overtures
On the other hand, former NA speaker and PTI stalwart Asad Qaiser played down the recent overtures by his former party colleagues, saying they would be prepared to talk only if the “stolen mandate” was returned to the “true representatives”.
“The fact is that we have been suggesting for years that the PTI is ready to talk to everyone only if justice is provided to the party without creating any hurdles,” Mr Qaiser told Dawn.
“We just want the court cases to be decided on merit. We are willing to talk with anyone about deciding the modalities of the next election and assurances that the next election will be free and fair,” he said.
When asked if it was correct that some party leaders wanted to “streamline” the issues with the establishment, but were reluctant due to Imran Khan, Mr Qaiser said that some individuals may have their personal opinions, but it was not the party policy. “During party meetings, it is categorically stated that there will not be any compromise on principles,” he said.
However, Fawad Chaudhry said the PTI leadership had failed to create any breakthrough to get Imran Khan out of jail during the past two years. He claimed that he had told Mr Khan that many politicians in the party had vested interests attached to his imprisonment and they would make no efforts to help him get out of jail.
No ‘minus formula’
His colleague Imran Ismail dispelled the impression that they were working on a ‘minus Imran formula’ and termed their outreach campaign an “effort to move Pakistan’s politics away from confrontation”.
“We privately consulted a number of PTI stalwarts. Almost all admitted that confrontation has failed and that reconciliation is the only way forward,” he said in a lengthy statement posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“When we met Chaudhry Ejaz in Kot Lakhpat Jail and Shah Mehmood Qureshi at PKLI, both — while firmly standing with Khan — agreed that the stalemate must end. They sought normal political breathing space, not surrender,” he said.
He said if any PTI leader believed that “continuing agitation and confrontation is the right path, he should come forward and convince the rest of us who think otherwise”.
Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2025
