Pakistan's Khan seeks dialogue as key leaders leave party

ISTANBUL

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said he was ready to talk to "anyone in power" amid a crackdown on his party since his controversial arrest and the violence that followed.

More than two dozen leaders from Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), including Shireen Mazari and Fawad Chaudhry, have quit the party, which the government has threatened to ban.

Addressing his supporters, Khan said he was “ready to constitute a committee for talks with "anyone in power today.”

“I am making this committee and I say two things: If they tell the committee that they have a solution and the country can function better without me. Or they tell the committee what benefit will Pakistan gain from holding elections in October,” Khan said.

The embattled leader said he will continue his struggle, is prepared to get arrested and that the crackdown will make his party more popular.

Chaudhry, a former information minister, was the latest in a string of departures from PTI, which ruled the country from 2018 until last April when Khan was dismissed through a no-confidence vote in parliament.

"I have decided to take a break from politics, therefore, I have resigned from party position and parting ways from Imran Khan," he said on Twitter.

Asad Umar, another key aide of Khan, resigned as PTI's secretary general, but did not leave the party.

Khan has dubbed the departures as "forced divorces."

Banning PTI

Earlier on Wednesday, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif told reporters that the government was considering to ban the PTI.

He said the PTI has attacked the "very basis of the state," which cannot be tolerated.

“A decision has not been taken yet, but a review is surely underway,” he added.

Political turmoil

Khan battles more than 100 legal cases ranging from corruption, terrorism and rioting, all of which were lodged after his ouster. He says the charges are trumped-up to banish him from politics.

Since being removed from power last year, Khan has been campaigning for snap general elections, which are due later this year.

He narrowly escaped assassination during a rally in November.

Khan was detained on May 9, sparking protests by his supporters and attacks on state and military installations, but was later released on bail.

Since then, most of the top leaders of his party have been taken into custody. A number of former parliamentarians and mid-tier leaders have quit the party or politics.

The crackdown by the civilian government has been condemned by rights organizations, including the HRW and Amnesty International.

They have urged authorities to end the mass arrests, arbitrary detentions and charging people under vague anti-terrorism laws.

Concerns have also been raised over the disappearance of anchor person Imran Riaz Khan, who was held by security forces amid the violence, but has not since been produced in court.

“Punishing dissenting voices using enforced disappearance has been a worrying trend in Pakistan for many years and must be ended,” Amnesty said.