SUKKUR: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs, Senator Rana Sanaullah, said on Saturday that democracy flourishes through dialogue but claimed that the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) “does not believe in dialogue” from the beginning.
Speaking to the media at the Sukkur Airport, he said it was PTI’s decision whether to engage in talks or not. He added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would decide on negotiations with the PTI once the opposition clarifies its stance.
While the PTI has outright rejected talks on the directives of its founder Imran Khan, the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP), of which PTI is a member, has expressed openness to negotiations.
Sanaullah, along with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, criticised the PTI’s contradictory approach. “On the one hand, they say we should hold dialogue, but on the other hand, Aleema Khan states that anyone in favour of dialogue cannot be part of the party,” Chaudhry said.
Responding to questions about speculation regarding the PTI founder’s possible transfer to Balochistan, Sanaullah said, “As a political party, we believe democracy advances through dialogue, not deadlock, which is why both PMLN and PPP have always sought to bring all political parties together to resolve issues peacefully.”
He added, “The PTI founder has maintained this attitude since 2011, continued from 2018-2022, and now in 2025, he does not believe in political dialogue.”
Addressing restrictions on visitation, Sanaullah said, “No one can be allowed to plan chaos and anarchy in the country,” alleging that the PTI founder had been doing so through meetings, messages and social media posts. He added that the ban on meetings was “in accordance with the law.” “We have always been ready for dialogue; we still are. If they want to talk, that’s fine; if not, it is their decision,” he said.
Sanaullah also criticised PTI’s handling of court assurances, noting that party representative Salman Akram Raja had previously assured the court that no press conferences or political messaging would follow meetings, but PTI has allegedly violated this commitment.
On security measures, he said the PTI founder’s trials were being conducted inside jail rather than in court as “his protection remains a top priority for the government.”
