Fawad Chaudhry, Senior Vice-President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), declared on Sunday that starting from May 1, the party will organize rallies if the negotiations with the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government failed to yield positive results.
Chaudhry took to Twitter to emphasize PTI’s desire for the negotiations to be successful but highlighted the party’s plan in case talks with the ruling coalition do not reach a consensus.
Chaudhry announced that the rallies would commence in Lahore, Islamabad, and Peshawar, led by PTI chairman Imran Khan, and called on supporters to prepare for the “major movement.” The senior leader further stated that PTI would not remain idle if the government disregards the Constitution and treats citizens unfairly.
The government and PTI have been discussing potential election dates, as ordered by the Supreme Court, which has also urged political forces to negotiate and find a solution to the ongoing political unrest. Although the court directed political parties to determine an election date by April 26, no progress was made by the deadline.
The final round of talks is scheduled for May 2, and it is essential to resolve the stalemate over elections, which has exacerbated the country’s political tensions and economic crisis. However, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has decided not to participate in the talks, as his party doubts the success of negotiations with PTI.
Both delegations were optimistic about concluding by Tuesday, but PTI cautioned that talks could “derail” if law enforcement continues to arrest its members. This announcement follows a recent police raid on the residence of former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, which drew strong criticism from PTI.
While government representatives suggested holding polls in September, PTI initially proposed a July election. The government maintained that presenting the budget in June would make the July elections too early, to which PTI agreed to present the government’s proposal to Khan. Imran Khan has insisted that talks with the government will only continue if they are willing to dissolve the National Assembly and hold immediate elections.
