The establishment knows that the power base would dilute if it started talks with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, party’s spokesperson Rauf Hasan said on Monday.
“They [establishment] don’t want to talk with PTI as they know what we want to say to them,” he said in an interview with Spot Light with Munizae Jahangir aired on Aaj News.
“Our agenda is that we want every institution of the state to act within the constitutional domain, including the establishment, in fact, most of all establishment. They don’t want to hear it because they have been ruling the country directly or indirectly. You have seen what has happened to the country. This is not their job,” he added.
Hasan, who is the PTI secretary information, went on to add he was aware of the military’s mindset as he has been part of the institution for some time
“I love the institution as I learned so much from that. The work they are doing is not their job and what I have learned cannot happen,” he said and lamented that the discipline and commitment to the state did not happen.
“We falter that’s why there is sensitivity when the Hamoodur Rahman Commission comes out,” Hasan said and added that the commission was made by the state.
When asked about the situation for the PTI after November of next year, the PTI spokesperson linked the question to the tenure of the incumbent army chief. He said that there was a discussion that COAS Asim Munir might get an extension. “We don’t talk about November, we do not talk about one man but a collective mindset that wants to control everything.
He admitted that it would be difficult for him to reply to a query about whether or not there was a soft corner for the PTI within the establishment. According to Hasan, there was a change in the judiciary and the “judicial meddling” letter by six out of the eight Islamabad High Court judges was a “big step”.
He admitted that the party was not expecting the acquittal of former prime minister Imran Khan and ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case. “But such a decision reflects change in the judiciary.”
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After this, the host told him that the PTI was looking at the judiciary while pinning hope on another institution and closing the doors on political parties. “We have hope from the judiciary and we want to talk to the establishment,” Hasan said.
He denied the impression the PTI was getting hand-holding after the cipher verdict and added that the case lacked evidence as the diplomatic cable’s copy was not submitted to the court.
“Our grouse is that why it took so long and why it was registered and why Khan is in jail.”
In response to a query, he said that the former prime minister was offered deals in the past. It’s lurking, he said when asked if the deal was offered to him multiple times.
