The National Dialogue Committee has approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking permission to meet Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry, Mahmood Molvi and Imran Ismail appeared at the Islamabad High Court, while the petition was filed through Advocate Faisal Fareed Chaudhry.

Speaking to the media outside the court, Imran Ismail said the petition had been filed to seek permission to meet the PTI founder, inquire about his health, and consult him on the issue of creating new provinces. Fawad Chaudhry said the committee believed that any meaningful national consensus required consultation with the PTI founder, describing him as the country's most prominent political leader.

He said the committee intended to meet him as Pakistani citizens and highlighted their long-standing political association with him. Commenting on the country's political situation, Fawad Chaudhry criticised the leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), claiming that national affairs could not move forward while their current leadership remained influential.

He also criticised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's economic policies, noting that the premier had presented 17 budgets during his political career, including 12 at the provincial level and five at the federal level. He said the committee supported the transfer of powers and believed that broad political dialogue was essential for resolving national issues.

Fawad Chaudhry further acknowledged that a meeting with the PTI founder would not be possible without the consent of the establishment. He said the committee's approach was based on dialogue and reconciliation, adding that both the establishment and the PTI founder would need to engage constructively if political progress was to be achieved.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)