Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), declared on Friday that he is a politician who is “open for dialogue” and “ready to talk” after spending months behind bars.
“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.
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After Khan was imprisoned in May of last year, the PTI experienced a leadership exodus and accusations were made against its surviving employees. 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”.
