Asif advises PTI to do parliamentary politics as civil disobedience is ‘going to fail’

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan had formed a five-member team to negotiate with the government on two important demands, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif urged the former ruling party to start negotiations with political parties in parliament.

However, he claimed that PTI’s call for civil disobedience was bound to fail like “previous attacks on Islamabad” as “the state is providing everything to its people”.

“Civil disobedience [movement] People succeed when they are not dependent on the state,” Asif said Geo NewsHe further said that the state is providing all the facilities to the citizens.

He said that no one will deprive the family of these facilities.

He believed that such movements had an impact during the British era and said: “Whoever gave this suggestion to the PTI is apparently ignorant of history.”

Two days ago, the PTI founder had announced a five-member negotiating committee, which included Umar Ayub Khan, Ali Amin Gandapur, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Salman Akram Raja and Asad Qaiser.

He said the committee would discuss two points with the federal government – the release of “political prisoners” facing trial and the formation of a judicial commission to probe the events of May 9, 2023, and the night against the PTI. Gone is the crackdown. Protesters on November 26

On X, they warned the government that they would launch a “civil disobedience” movement if their demands were not met, besides “paying homage to the martyrs” in Peshawar on 13 December. A “grand gathering” will be announced for, according to him, the PTI who died during the protest in Islamabad.

Commenting on the prospects of talks between the government and the PTI, Asif took a dig at the PTI founder, saying that Khan had always been willing to hold talks only with the establishment.

“There are now reports that PTI founders are ready to hold talks with political parties,” Asif said, asking the opposition party to play its parliamentary role instead of doing street politics.

Taking a veiled jibe at the PTI founder’s wife, Asif claimed that Bushra Bibi does not understand politics, but she “has a great understanding of finance”.

He criticized his statement in which he claimed that PTI leaders had left him alone during the party’s “last call” protest.

The defense chief said he had seen a video showing Bushra leaving the protest site on her own. He claimed that no one had left Bushra alone as all PTI leaders and protesters had “run away” from the Islamabad protest.

A much-publicized protest by the former ruling party in Islamabad, aimed at securing the release of PTI’s founder, who has been behind bars for more than a year, followed the government’s midnight crackdown on protesters last month. After Down, the party hastily retreated.

The party founded by Imran has since claimed that at least 12 of its workers were killed and 1,000 were arrested. However, the government has categorically denied using live ammunition against the protesters and said that four law enforcement personnel, including three Rangers personnel and a policeman, were martyred during the protests.