File photo of PTI chief Imran Khan
After months of screaming himself hoarse over the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) not returning to the National Assembly because it would be akin to accepting the legitimacy of the incumbent government, ousted prime minister Imran Khan appeared to take another U-turn on Monday by claiming that his party’s lawmakers can return to participate in talks for a caretaker setup ahead of general elections.
Speaking with journalists in Lahore at his Zaman Park residence, he claimed the party had now devised a strategy for the National Assembly. “We will make [Prime Minister] Shehbaz Sharif’s sleep restless soon,” he claimed, according to reports in local media, referring to an earlier statement in which he had said the premier would have to take a vote of confidence. In case of a run-off vote—if Sharif were to lose the vote—he claimed it would be considered if such a situation arose.
The PTI resigned en masse from the Lower House of Parliament on April 11 to protest Khan’s ouster as prime minister through a vote of no-confidence. But while the resignations were initially accepted by then-deputy speaker Qasim Suri, incumbent Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf reopened them, claiming independent verification was not carried out, as required by law. Since then, the PTI’s lawmakers have been in a state of limbo, officially still a part of Parliament while refusing to attend any proceedings.
In his interaction with media, the PTI chief reiterated that several MNAs of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) were in touch with his party, adding that they would be “tested” before being inducted into PTI. He did not offer any evidence of his claims. Currently, a group of PTI dissidents led by Raja Riaz represents the party in the National Assembly, with the party accusing them of being facilitators of the incumbent government. According to Khan, the PTI is examining legal means to prevent this group from siding with Sharif in case of any vote of confidence.
Speaking with journalists, Khan claimed the Pakistan Peoples Party could not have won local government elections in Karachi and Hyderabad without rigging—again without any evidence. He also claimed there had been “no significant change in Bajwa doctrine”—popularized during the PTI’s rule as a reference to the Army being an active participant in the country’s governance. At the time, Khan had repeatedly described the “doctrine” as a positive development.
To a question on Pakistan’s economy, the PTI chief warned that the situation would worsen as Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s decision to not increase fuel prices meant the International Monetary Fund would not release the next tranche of an ongoing bailout.