PM Shehbaz's Dialogue Offer To PTI: Opening For Politics Or Another Deadlock?

Senior journalist and analyst Hamad Hassan says PTI is clearly divided over the offer, with one faction in favour of talks and another strongly opposed. However, he points out that PTI has played an important card by signalling that it is willing to discuss constitutional amendments rather than demanding Imran Khan's release or withdrawal of cases. This, he argues, could provide PTI with political advantage.

By doing so, Hassan says, PTI has effectively sidelined the establishment by asserting that it is not engaging with it at all, while simultaneously putting pressure on PML-N and the government. If the ruling party now backs away from talks, it could suffer politically.

Offering his assessment, senior journalist Majid Nizami says that after Imran Khan's controversial“mental patient” tweet from jail, the ISPR DG's recent tough press conference, and the sentencing of former DG ISI Faiz Hameed, there is a growing sense within PTI's leadership that the party may be forced to reconsider its stance.

He says the leadership is questioning whether Imran Khan's continued preference for staying in jail over reconciliation should come at the cost of the entire party.

This thinking, he believes, is driving the push for negotiations. However, Nizami cautions that PTI faces a serious challenge from hardliners within the party, its social media brigade, and supporters abroad, who are likely to criticise and undermine any dialogue process.

PTI and Mahmood Achakzai: Diverging Views, Potential Rift

Maria Memon argues that Imran Khan's political track record suggests he has rarely sustained long-term alliances with other political forces and has, on multiple occasions, derailed negotiation efforts himself. In her view, while Imran Khan appears to have given Mahmood Achakzai the authority to move talks forward, their political objectives and paths may eventually diverge.

Hamad Hassan believes that although PTI has a political committee, the party is currently dominated by Aleema Khan, which has created internal fault lines.

The same rift, he says, exists between Achakzai and Aleema Khan. While Achakzai consistently speaks of dialogue and reconciliation in his press conferences, Aleema Khan's statements often undercut that narrative.

Given the temperament of Imran Khan and his sisters, Hassan says, it would be difficult for a politician like Achakzai to remain aligned with them for long.
Majid Nizami, however, believes that although differences exist between PTI and TTAP over negotiations with the government, these differences are not yet severe enough to cause a complete break.

He recalls that the margin between PTI and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was much narrower, largely because Fazlur Rehman believed there were no guarantees regarding Imran Khan's words or actions.

In contrast, Nizami says, Achakzai still has room to manoeuvre. The level of mistrust between him and PTI has not yet reached a point where separation seems inevitable.

Imran Khan's Street Movement: Threat or Reality

According to Hamad Hassan, the threat of street agitation alongside dialogue is primarily meant to extract concessions under the cover of negotiations. However, he argues that after the protest movement of November 24, 2025, PTI's street power has significantly diminished. Today, he says, the party's influence is largely confined to social media, with little presence left on the ground.

Maria Memon agrees, saying there is little likelihood or space for a large-scale street movement at present. With Ramadan approaching and PTI workers exhausted from repeated protest calls, she believes supporters may turn out to vote but are unlikely to return to the streets.

Street Politics: PTI's Hopes Pinned on Sohail Afridi

Majid Nizami, however, maintains that the option of street mobilisation still exists, and that bringing Sohail Afridi to the forefront was a deliberate move aimed at reviving protest politics. PTI, he says, is placing significant reliance on Afridi's potential to lead agitation, especially after perceptions that Ali Amin Gandapur had become compromised.

According to Nizami, PTI will first attempt to make negotiations meaningful by taking a step back and easing political tensions. If talks fail to deliver results, the option of launching a movement under Sohail Afridi's leadership will remain firmly on the table.