Imran Khan, the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), declared on Friday that he is a politician who is “open for dialogue” and “ready to talk” after being eliminated from the election process.
“I’m a politician, and I’ve been saying that for the last 19 months,” Khan told reporters in the Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, where he is being held on many charges.
In the run-up to the general elections, the PTI chief, who was removed in a motion of no confidence in April 2022, has been dealing with a string of defeats.
After Khan was imprisoned in May of last year, the PTI experienced a leadership exodus and accusations were made against its surviving employees. Subsequently, this month, the party’s electoral symbol—a significant motivator for voters—was removed, and the PTI-Nazriati party, with which it was attempting to form an alliance, likewise abandoned its pledge.
However, as the PTI struggles, its main competitors, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), have already started their national campaigns and sent out tickets for both national and local seats.
The PPP and the PML-N are vying for central government seats. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari asserted with confidence that the PTI is no longer in the race because its candidates will be competing on their own, making it only a contest between the two parties.
Khan mentioned the current political climate in the nation and stated that efforts were underway to establish a “controlled parliament”.
“My acceptance of a weak government was my biggest error. I should have held fresh elections in place of a weak administration. Being a member of the opposition would be preferable to a weak coalition administration.
In response to a query, the PTI founder stated that the nation’s economic issues could not be resolved by a weak government or a hung parliament.
“Only a powerful government can implement reforms and improvements,” he continued.
Khan’s chances of running in the general elections, which are scheduled for February 8, were dashed when the Lahore High Court (LHC) denied his appeal against the rejection of his nomination papers earlier this week.
The rulings made by the appellate tribunal and returning officer (RO) to reject the former premier’s disqualified nomination papers from the NA-89 and NA-122 constituencies were affirmed by the high court.
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