Imran Khan’s proposition for talks seems to be falling on deaf ears, as two key figures in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s administration, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, claim that Khan, the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), overstepped boundaries on May 9.
Asif and Sanaullah argue that any dialogue with Khan is out of the question because he went too far, accusing him of conspiring against the military under foreign influences.
On May 9, widespread violence broke out following Khan’s arrest in a corruption case, with rioters attacking numerous government and military facilities.
In his interaction with journalists in Sialkot, Asif expressed his shock at the events of May 9, asserting that Khan’s actions had made negotiations impossible. He defended the nation and its protectors as their “red line.”
He further suggested that more individuals are likely to abandon Khan due to the weight of his blunders. Asif criticized the supposed political leaders for their attacks on defense establishments and warned against those with “conditional loyalty” to the country.
He accused Khan of economically weakening the country and attempting to undermine its defense, endorsing Sanaullah’s claim that intelligence agencies had intercepted a call exposing a disturbing PTI plot against law-enforcement institutions.
Echoing Asif’s statements, Interior Minister Sanaullah accused Khan of embedding animosity into politics during a rally in Faisalabad. He made veiled references to Khan, accusing him and PTI of exploiting their goodwill, generating hatred among young people, and staging a riot at Jinnah House in Lahore, resulting in the theft of a laptop containing sensitive data.
Sanaullah reiterated his earlier allegations that PTI orchestrated an attack on a PTI worker’s house to incite public rage against the government. He firmly declared that there would be no forgiveness for unforgivable crimes.
On the other hand, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, who had previously been a part of the government’s negotiation team with PTI, stated that Khan’s antagonistic behavior had made further talks impossible.
In response to a question about the May 9 incidents, Rafique said that most culprits had been identified and many apprehended. He reassured that the forthcoming elections would occur as per the constitutional timeline.
