PTI’s information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram has said that he was oblivious to party leader Zulfi Bukhari’s decision to raise former prime minister Imran Khan’s incarceration with United States President-elect Donald Trump’s family.

“I don’t have any clue and there is no party direction regarding this,” he said while appearing on the Aaj News programme Rubaroo through a video link on Friday. “He [Zulfi Bukhari] is going to meet him in his personal capacity, maybe because of friendship.”

In a recent interview, the former aide to the PM announced his plans to bring the issue of alleged mistreatment of Khan before the Trump government. Bukhari claimed that he was in contact with Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Khan’s adviser on international affairs added that he would personally travel to Washington to meet with Trump’s daughter, son-in-law, and members of their team to discuss the alleged injustices faced by Khan and his party.

He claimed that he was in contact with Trump’s family and team and awaiting the inauguration before presenting the matter directly.

PTI’s information secretary Akram clarified that he was unaware of Bukhari’s schedule.

When asked whether the party would endorse such a meeting, he refrained from talking about such developments and said that supporters of Khan were making all-out efforts to bring their leader out of jail.

“So if someone is doing this in their personal capacity and they have the right to do it. If I had contact with such a personality whose influence can bring Khan out, I would have done the same,” he said and reiterated that Bukhari’s decision was personal.

“The PTI does not approach individuals,” Akram said.

In response to a question of backdoor talks with the JUI-F, he said that the party does not need such steps. Akram called for making a grand opposition alliance.

“Nothing such that Maulana Fazlur Rehman meeting Imran Khan in jail,” the PTI leader said.

The PTI’s information secretary admitted that the party’s meetings with the religio-political leader before the 26th Constitutional Amendment were fruitful for bringing the two sides closer.

He added that Khan’s release was topmost for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.

While speaking about the PTI’s protest in Swabi on Saturday (tomorrow), he said that it was held for Khan’s release and against the government. Akram added that the site of protest lied on the border of KP and Punjab, making it “easy” for people of both provinces to converge.

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Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions (Safron) and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs Eng Amir Muqam had also joined the show in its last segment via video link.

He was of the view that Trump would have no role in Pakistan’s internal matters to release someone.

Muqam described the KP government’s decision to expel protesting teachers as “non-serious”, saying that those government servants who took part in PTI rally were given big welcome by the KP chief minister.