POLITICS & POLICY MAKING
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has stated that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has no reason to worry regarding any potential talks between the military and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). In an interview with Voice of America Urdu on Thursday, Iqbal was asked if his party would have issues with such discussions. He responded, "I don’t think we will face any problems and neither would the thinking exist in the military to interfere in politics again."
His comments come after PTI founder Imran Khan, currently incarcerated, expressed his party’s readiness for talks with the military establishment. Speaking from Adiala jail, Khan laid down three preconditions: the return of his party’s 'stolen mandate,' the release of all detained party workers, and the holding of transparent elections.
Iqbal highlighted that according to the military’s spokesperson, the army had decided to separate itself from politics at an institutional level after its "2018 experience." He questioned why Imran Khan would agree to negotiations with the military if he believed it should stay neutral in political matters.
The minister further criticized PTI’s inconsistent stance towards the military, pointing out that Imran Khan’s contradictory statements undermine the party’s position. "Imran said he was fighting for civil supremacy and the military has no part in politics. If the army is not to have any part in politics then what dialogue do they want to have with them?" Iqbal asked.
Regarding a potential ban on PTI, Iqbal mentioned that institutions could proceed if they had a strong case. He noted that significant information had surfaced suggesting PTI’s social media was "under the control of Pakistan’s enemy." He added that any decision to ban the party would be based on thorough investigation and legal scrutiny.
"This [ban] cannot be done via a notification and if the government is to take this decision then the decision should be so strong that it can stand the scrutiny of law," Iqbal concluded.