Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan has announced a significant escalation in his party’s response to the government’s crackdown on PTI protesters. Following a protest in Islamabad last month that ended with a government-led midnight operation, Khan expressed outrage at the treatment of his supporters.

He claimed at least 12 PTI workers were killed and 1,000 arrested during the November 26th protest, while the government counters that four law enforcement officers died and denies using live ammunition. Khan also alleges that hundreds of PTI workers remain missing.

In a post on X, Khan revealed the formation of a five-member negotiation team – Omar Ayub Khan, Ali Amin Gandapur, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Salman Akram Raja, and Asad Qaiser – tasked with negotiating two key demands with the federal government.

These demands are the release of what he terms “political prisoners” facing trial and the establishment of a judicial commission to investigate both the May 9th, 2023, events and the November 26th crackdown on PTI protesters.

Khan described this negotiation team as his “trump card.” He issued an ultimatum, stating that if these demands are not met, a civil disobedience movement will commence on December 14th. He explicitly warned the government that it would be held responsible for the consequences of this movement.

Prior to the civil disobedience campaign, Khan announced a “grand gathering” in Peshawar on December 13th to honor those he considers martyrs of the Islamabad protest. He further criticized the lack of action from the Supreme Court and the Lahore and Islamabad High Courts regarding alleged human rights violations, urging the Supreme Court to intervene and fulfill its constitutional role. The Islamabad protest, intended to secure Khan’s release from prison after more than a year of incarceration, ended abruptly after the government’s forceful intervention.