Vawda challenges Rana Sanaullah’s claim of ‘deal’ offered to Imran

Senator Faisal Vawda on Tuesday questioned Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah over his assertion that the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had twice been offered a political deal but chose not to accept it.

“First, tell us when, where and how? Or is this one of those deals that exists only in your imagination and that only you know about?” Vawda asked in a post on X addressed to Sanaullah.

It added, “I believe you people are fortunate that, according to you, he did not accept the deal. If the PTI founder had accepted this alleged deal, you know very well that he would then have gone after the politicians — and he would not have spared you either. Where the politicians would have gone after that, even I do not know.”

Vawda further cautioned against what he described as firing “political arrows into the air,” warning that such statements could rebound on those who make them. “Political manoeuvres of the past are now outdated. Think of something new,” he concluded.

Sanaullah has previously said the PTI founder was offered a deal on two occasions but declined, without publicly detailing the nature or timing of the alleged offers. A day earlier, he claimed that during the PTI’s November 2024 protest, Imran initially agreed to hold talks and not protest at D-Chowk but later withdrew, adding that it was a missed opportunity for his release.

In an interview on programme ‘Capital Talk’ on a private news outlet on Wednesday, Sanaullah revealed that the government, including Interior Minister Naqvi, had made an offer to Imran, proposing that the party hold its planned November 2024 sit-in at Sangjani instead of marching towards D-Chowk.

“He (Imran) was being given wise advice, and Mohsin Naqvi was directly engaged in talks with him, telling him not to come towards Islamabad or go to D-Chowk, but to sit in Sangjani and hold talks there. Initially, Imran Khan agreed to this, but after agreeing, he backed out and said that Bushra Bibi would decide. Then she made the decision that they would go to D-Chowk,” Sanaullah said.

He explained that if Imran had agreed, he would have received concessions, adding that the decision led to a missed opportunity for his release. Asked about whether Imran had allegedly said that he did not want to come out, Sanaullah replied, “You may say so.” The PM’s aide said that the PTI founder could have secured his release from Adiala jail had the party chosen a more peaceful course of action during their 2024 protest.

Earlier on Thursday, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar strongly dismissed media reports suggesting any “deal” between the government and Imran. In a statement shared on X, Tarar said, “There is neither any deal nor any leniency for Imran.” He added that any suggestion of the government granting Imran Khan concessions was “entirely false and misleading”.

Tarar concluded with, “Imran Khan is a convicted criminal, and the news regarding his release is baseless. There is no truth in this news.”

Khan, 73, has been jailed since August 2023 after convictions he and the PTI call politically motivated. Since his 2022 ouster in a no-confidence vote, he has faced multiple cases, including state gifts and an unlawful marriage. Some convictions have been suspended or overturned, with appeals pending. He denies wrongdoing.