Khan says won’t settle on recounting in 10 constituencies

• PTI chief rejects PM’s offer of dialogue on any issue before 14th
• Vows PTI tsunami will reach Islamabad despite barriers, invites political parties to join Azadi March and not just ‘stand on both sides of the wicket’

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that there would be no dialogue on any issue with the government, including recounting in 10 constituencies and negotiations would only be held after “Azadi March” on August 14.

PTI Central Information Secretary Shireen Mazari has also categorically stated that PTI had never sent any proposal to the government regarding vote recounting in 10 constituencies or any other point of compromise.

Reacting to Sharif’s offer Saturday, the PTI chief alleged that the premier used the National Security Conference for political purposes and made a political statement. He added that Sharif’s “attempt to exploit” an issue of national security for mere political purposes and “photo op” had proven that PTI’s boycott of this “farcical conference” was absolutely correct.

Khan said that Sharifs’ attempts to “stifle” democracy and “disrupt” the whole country by closing major arteries, petrol stations and means of public transport would not work.

Khan vowed that whatever the government would do, the “tsunami” of PTI workers would flood Islamabad. He said that PTI would not put forward its future course before arriving in Islamabad with the “Azadi March” on 14 August.

“The march will come to Islamabad regardless of the barriers the government is trying to put up,” he said, inviting all the political parties to join “Azadi March” and not just “stand on both sides of the wicket”.

Besides warning the government that PTI would not allow the arrest of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri, Khan also reminded the nation about the “anti-democratic antics” of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Sharifs, including the attack on the Supreme Court and siphoning off of billions of public money in personal funds. He reminded that in 2009, when Sharif initiated the long march, the then government did not put up any hurdles while now the PML-N government was arresting their workers from across the country.