In a significant development, senior incarcerated leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have urged the party leadership to initiate dialogue with the government, but made it conditional on meeting the party’s founding chairman, Imran Khan.

The proposal was put forward in an open letter written by key PTI leaders, including Senior Vice President Shah Mahmood Qureshi, former ministers Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ijaz Chaudhry, and Umar Sarfraz Cheema.

The letter emphasises that the country is facing one of the worst crises in its history and states that negotiations are the only viable way out.

It highlights the need for dialogue at both political and institutional levels.

The signatories proposed that political-level negotiations be initiated without delay and called for the inclusion of PTI’s imprisoned leaders in Lahore as part of the process.

Crucially, the leaders stressed that access to party founder Imran Khan must be granted to facilitate the formation of a negotiation committee through broader consultation.

The letter also recommended that these meetings with Imran Khan be held regularly to ensure consistency and coordination in the dialogue process.