Shah Mehmood Qureshi called PTI leaders 'jokers,' claims Muhammad Malick

Journalist Muhammad Malick claimed on Thursday that former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan gave a tough time to different leaders of his party during a meeting at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Thursday.

Malick said on his talk show programme KHABAR that former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi bluntly told Imran Khan, "You have appointed jokers to key positions." 

Imran Khan met with Senator Shibli Faraz, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, former party member Fawad Chaudhry, Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur and lawyer Salman Akram Raja at the jail. The meeting was two hours long, said the journalist.

“Instead of initiating agitation after the February 8 general election, you [the party leadership] confined yourself to your home, [….] why did you retreat from D Chowk last month,” Malick quoted Imran Khan as saying.

Former Foreign Minister Qureshi advised the party to move towards dialogue instead of confrontation, making the case for giving a chance to negotiations and  resolving problems through understanding. If the government is serious about dialogue, they should initiate talks, stated the journalist.

Qureshi called out party leadership by saying that he has “40 years of experience in politics” and that party leaders must consult him before making a political decision.

Sources told Express Tribune that Khan was skeptical about the talks, but Gandapur remained optimistic during their meeting. 

“Wait until Saturday; if the government tries to convince PTI, then move ahead. Otherwise, go for the civil disobedience call,” sources quoted the PTI founder as saying. 

The jailed head of the PTI posted a message on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday emphasised that two of his demands, including the formation of a judicial commission comprising the three most senior judges, must be established to probe the May 9 and November 26 events and the release of political prisoners must be met.

“If the government does not act on them by Sunday, the first phase of the civil disobedience movement, a remittance boycott, will begin,” he warned.

The former Premier clarified to the government that the move to defer the civil disobedience movement was made on the broader national interest. “If the government is not interested [for dialogue], we are not holding a gun to their head. Our offer for dialogue should not be deemed as a sign of weakness,” he said.

Additionally, Malick claimed that Imran Khan believed that the administration of the newly elected President of the United States (US), Donald J. Trump would be involved in securing his release.