Islamabad, December 8, 2025: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Monday dismissed the possibility of sidelining the party’s founder, saying he “can never be minus” and remains the leader of a major political force with significant public backing.
Speaking to a private news channel outside Parliament House, Gohar said: “The PTI founder is not the kind of leader you can even think of minus-ing. Political actors should think democratically and think positively.”
He urged authorities to facilitate a meeting between the PTI founder, his wife Bushra Bibi, and their families. “Arrange the meeting and you will see good things emerging instead of negative talk,” he said, questioning why Bushra Bibi’s family had never spoken publicly after any meeting.
Gohar criticised ongoing political commentary and press conferences targeting the PTI founder. “The talks happening right now will only make Pakistan’s enemies happy. Anyone who believes in democracy would not be able to sleep in this situation,” he remarked, warning that the public was losing hope due to the political deadlock.
Commenting on the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the PTI chairman expressed surprise over reports that Governor Faisal Karim Kundi was considering governor’s rule. “God willing, the governor’s rule will never be imposed in KP. We want stability and improvement in the province,” he said.
He criticised what he described as attempts to provoke the public and “mock the people’s mandate.” Gohar questioned why those advocating governor’s rule had never advised the chief minister on governance issues. “Everyone sits and says governor’s rule is coming — is this how you treat the public’s vote?” he asked.
Political tensions have surged since last week’s press conference by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, who launched a stinging attack on the PTI founder, calling him “mentally ill” and a “threat to national security.”
Following the press conference, several government ministers ruled out negotiations with PTI unless held without its jailed founder, who has been incarcerated since August 2023.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced a blanket ban on meetings with the former prime minister, saying talks could only be held with PTI lawmakers inside parliament. “Come, apologise, and admit that your leader issued such filthy statements. Show remorse — only then can anything be reconsidered,” Tarar said, adding that negotiations without the PTI founder were “the only option left.”
Despite the government’s stance, PTI leaders continued to call for political dialogue. Senator Ali Zafar, speaking outside Parliament House, said the country was facing a “delicate situation” with rising terrorism, insisting that talks were essential.
“The ‘minus-one’ formula cannot be applied in PTI,” he said. Calling the approach unjustified, Zafar asserted that the party could not move forward without its founder. “Without its founder, PTI is nothing,” he added.
