ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) appears to be on course for political isolation before the next general elections, claiming that the path chosen by its founder suggests he may end up completing his 14-year prison sentence.
Speaking on ARY News’ current affairs program Khabar, the former interior minister said that the prime minister had repeatedly expressed willingness for dialogue, but stressed that any talks must remain within the framework of the Constitution and the law. “There can be differences in dialogue,” he noted, “but the process must move forward constitutionally.”
Rana Sanaullah argued that individuals with “anarchic thinking” should have no role in the country’s politics, adding that PTI’s own conduct was leading to its downfall. “When they are in power, they seek to eliminate the opposition, and when in opposition, they refuse to accept the government’s authority,” he remarked.
He went on to say that PTI’s decision to abandon parliamentary committees and assemblies would not stall the system, as replacements would be brought in to ensure continuity. “We do not need to downgrade PTI it is downgrading itself,” he said.
Recalling the political challenges faced by his own party, Sanaullah pointed out that the PML-N contested the 2002 elections despite being in exile. “They tried to make us a minus, but we survived and succeeded. PTI, however, seems bent on becoming a minus by its own choices,” he said.
The PML-N stalwart also accused the PTI founder of being the “architect” of the May 9 incidents, alleging that he never condemned the violence. “It seems clear now,” Sanaullah added, “that before the next elections, PTI will already have pushed itself into irrelevance.”
