ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan’s government said Friday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is ready to start negotiations with the opposition without any “minus Imran” precondition, countering speculation that dialogue would require sidelining jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The assurance, delivered by Sharif’s political affairs adviser, Rana Sanaullah, comes as officials try to cool political temperatures and break a stalemate between the ruling coalition and Khan’s party, Jan. 3, 2026.
Imran Khan talks and the ‘minus’ question
In Pakistan’s political shorthand, “minus” is often used to describe a deal that sidelines a key leader. Sanaullah said the government is not seeking to write anyone out of politics, calling that approach “not politically viable” and arguing it would only deepen polarization.
Sanaullah said Sharif has “not set any condition of minus Imran Khan,” adding: “We neither seek to minus anyone nor consider it politically viable.” He said the prime minister’s invitation is for direct engagement with the opposition leadership, not informal backchannels.
To address concerns about venue, Sanaullah said Sharif is willing to meet lawmakers in parliament. “The PM has invited the opposition to meet in the National Assembly chamber if they do not want to visit his office,” he said.
Where the government says the talks could start
Sanaullah pointed to “confidence-building measures” among the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf as one way to ease tensions and move toward formal talks. But he also said meaningful engagement would require a clear signal from the PTI’s senior leadership, arguing that the party’s founder remains the decisive voice.
Sanaullah suggested Sharif would have taken key stakeholders into confidence before extending any offer — including former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari and the “establishment,” a term commonly used in Pakistan for powerful institutions that influence national security and politics.
The remarks were reported by Dawn and The Express Tribune.
Imran Khan talks face a tense political climate
Even as the government signals it is open to dialogue, the political environment around Imran Khan remains strained. Khan has been imprisoned since 2023 and faces multiple legal cases, and the dispute between his camp and the military has triggered unusually sharp public exchanges, according to an Associated Press report.
That context matters because past rounds of engagement have been derailed by competing “red lines.” In early 2025, the PTI said it would not continue negotiations unless the government agreed to judicial commissions to investigate the May 9, 2023, unrest and later protests, according to Arab News coverage of the stalled talks.
Imran Khan has also framed negotiations as conditional beyond the government. In July 2024, he said he was ready to hold talks with the military if it appointed a representative, Reuters reported.
For now, Sanaullah is presenting the government’s position as an open invitation — with no “minus” clause — while reiterating that the next step in Imran Khan talks must come from the opposition’s top leadership.
