Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf ready to talk with Zardari, Nawaz Sharif to 'heal politics': Report

Islamabad [Pakistan], December 11 (ANI): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) which is struggling amid multiple cases on its top brass including former Prime Minister Imran Khan, is slowly changing its tone realising that it may have to sit down with other political stakeholders, including the arch-rivals Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Dawn reported.
"Although the party is not ready to hold negotiations with the PPP and PML-N, it seems we may be left with no other option but to talk to these parties," a PTI leader told reporters.
He said that regarding this, a chapter on "healing the politics" has been included in the party manifesto as well.
The leader further claimed that actions against PTI workers and activists have not dented its spirits, adding that after its "successful power shows" in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa -- despite restrictions -- the party has decided to organise countrywide conventions to rejuvenate its election bid, even if the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) does not allocate it the 'bat' symbol, Dawn reported.
The PTI leader added that the party will field independent candidates in case of a ban on the party to contest polls.
During the briefing, party leaders said they were aware of efforts to keep the PTI out of the elections and a counter-strategy in this regard was also in place.
"We have decided to contest the February 8 election on any electoral symbol...and we are ready to field independent candidates in case of a ban," a senior PTI leader told Dawn.
As per the PTI leader, the party has also learned from its past mistakes. For instance, it will not pick the "wrong persons" to represent the party, nor will it form a government without having a clear majority in parliament.
"It was also a blunder to form the government in 2018 as we did not have a clear majority," he said, adding that such a move "would not be repeated in the future".
He added that Imran Khan has also realised that "it was not a wise decision to make the government in 2018 without having a clear majority" in the National Assembly.
Another representative of PTI said that the powers that be were frustrated as they were hoping that Khan would not be able to last a single day in jail but now he has spent almost 130 days in 'detention', Dawn reported.
"But the PTI's popularity increased after the arrest of Imran Khan and this situation can force them to delay or suspend the elections. In that case, the Supreme Court could play its role," he said.
On being asked about recent appointments in the party, particularly of its chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, the PTI leader said Imran Khan had asked Hamid Khan to become the Chairman of the party, but the latter refused.
Regarding the claims that the party had been hijacked by lawyers, he said the PTI managed to "get the affiliation and sympathies" of a majority among the lawyers' community.
Replying to a question about Afghan immigrants, the PTI leader criticised the government for mishandling the Afghan issue.
"It will increase problems for Pakistan and we will not be able to make the Pak-Afghan border peaceful," Dawn quoted him as saying. (ANI)