In a statement, Yousafzai said the government could have been given more time to resolve the remaining one percent of the issues instead of abandoning the dialogue process.
He rejected allegations by federal ministers that PTI was facilitating unrest, calling the accusations baseless. He challenged the government to present any evidence against PTI leaders if such evidence existed.
Yousafzai said Pakistan’s economy had not been destroyed by the long march, adding that the prime minister had been given four years but the government’s economic policies had failed. He accused the government of focusing more on efforts to eliminate PTI than on addressing economic challenges.
He called for implementation of the 2025 All Parties Conference (APC) declaration to combat terrorism, saying the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had never refused to cooperate in efforts to eliminate terrorism.
Yousafzai also warned that imposing an emergency or governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would amount to disrespecting the mandate of the province’s people.
He expressed hope that the Governor House would not become a centre for political conspiracies. He said PTI leaders Barrister Gohar and Salman Akram Raja were still calling for negotiations and urged the government to resume talks with the opposition without any further delay.
Yousafzai said ministers advocating governor’s rule were pushing the government further into a dead end. He maintained that PTI’s demands were legitimate and included implementation of High Court and Supreme Court orders, a meeting with Imran Khan, his transfer to a hospital, early hearings of his cases and the release of his sisters.
He said addressing these demands was the only way to resolve the current political impasse.