‘Gohar’s hands are tied,’ Ayaz Sadiq says, blaming lack of authority for stalled talks

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan has been trying to facilitate political dialogue but lacks the authority within the party to take key decisions, making it difficult to advance talks with the government.

“I don’t blame Gohar. He tries, but his hands are tied. He does not have the authority that he should have,” Sadiq said in Hum Digital podcast.

Amid widespread arrests of PTI lawmakers, the party has called for a long march to Islamabad on September 27, prompting Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar to warn of severe consequences.

Sadiq said he had repeatedly tried to facilitate contact between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), adding that several opposition lawmakers had approached him seeking help to ease political tensions and arrange meetings.

“I facilitate as much as I can, and the government also supports it,” he said, describing the Speaker’s office as a bridge between the government and opposition.

PTI members wary of social media backlash

Sadiq said efforts to facilitate dialogue were also being hampered by what he described as pressure on PTI lawmakers from the party’s social media supporters.

“Every member is afraid of social media. Every member thinks that if I go, I will be criticised for why I went,” he said.

According to Sadiq, lawmakers who met him or sought engagement with the government subsequently faced criticism, making others reluctant to take similar initiatives.

He recalled an episode in which Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi contacted him while he was travelling to discuss arranging a meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan.

Sadiq said a proposal was initially made to send a relative of Khan to the meeting, but the plan was dropped after Khan’s sister objected to the move.

He said he, Naqvi and Gohar were subsequently on a conference call, while other PTI lawmakers, including former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, were with Gohar.

Sadiq said Gohar was then asked to attend the meeting himself, but that proposal also did not materialise.

Sadiq suggests opposition leaders meet Imran

Sadiq said he subsequently proposed that the leaders of the opposition in the National Assembly and Senate should meet Khan.

“I said, send the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. No one can stop them from going,” he recalled.

He said the proposal was again rejected amid concerns that the two opposition leaders would face criticism on social media.

Sadiq identified Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Raja Nasir Abbas as the respective opposition leaders and questioned why they had not gone to meet Khan.

“Barrister Gohar was, after all, a representative of the party. But why did both Leaders of the Opposition not go?” he asked.

Speaker questions PTI’s lack of authority

Sadiq said he did not blame Gohar for the lack of progress, arguing that the PTI chairman’s ability to act was constrained by the party’s internal dynamics.

He questioned why PTI, with dozens of lawmakers, could not identify someone with sufficient authority to engage in political dialogue.

The Speaker said the episode reflected what he described as a broader lack of cohesion within PTI, with lawmakers reluctant to take independent initiatives for fear of criticism.

Sadiq maintained that he had continued to offer his office as a platform for dialogue and said the government had also supported his efforts.

However, he said political engagement could not move forward unless the parties involved were willing to take up the opportunities for dialogue being offered.