KP government disputes PTI leaders’ claims

ISLAMABAD: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government disputed the statements made by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Azam Swati and Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan regarding a recent meeting with party founder Imran Khan.

The KP information advisor, Barrister Saif, in an interview claimed that the PTI founder did not call for the meeting to be canceled.

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Saif explained that PTI’s central leadership decided late at night to consult with Khan due to concerns about potential clashes with the government. Following this, Barrister Gohar and Azam Swati met with Khan in the morning, which led to the meeting’s cancellation.

Saif also addressed allegations from Aleema Khan that “external forces” were responsible for the postponement. He stated that the decision to cancel the meeting was made internally by PTI’s leadership.

Aleema Khan had previously criticised PTI for postponing the meeting and accused the party of not taking decisive action to secure Khan’s release.

She questioned why Swati attended the early morning meeting and implied it was organised by outside parties.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister’s Political Advisor Rana Sanaullah described the early morning meeting as unusual, suggesting it could only have been arranged by influential figures.

Sanaullah dismissed PTI’s claims and stated that the party’s actions were under “close scrutiny”.

Sanaullah also provided an update on the political situation, noting that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had a “successful” meeting, resolving several issues.

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A follow-up meeting between the People’s Party and the PML-N is set for Sunday at the Governor’s House in Lahore. This meeting will address complaints from the People’s Party about being sidelined in the Punjab government.

The meeting will include key representatives from both parties: Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar, and Raja Pervez Ashraf from the People’s Party, and Ishaq Dar and Rana Sanaullah from the PML-N.