Ready for talks with army: Imran

Former prime minister and PTI chief Imran Khan has stated his willingness to discuss outstanding issues with the establishment and requested the army to nominate a representative for the negotiations.

In an interaction with journalists in court, Mr Khan expressed his wish for contact with the military and clarified that he had never accused the military of any wrongdoing, but only offered constructive criticism. He compared the military to a spoilt child in a household, stating that just as a misbehaving child is criticised, so is the military, because criticism is the core of democracy.

When asked by a journalist about his recent words indicating a wish to reconcile with the military after previously levelling accusations against it and its leadership, the PTI supremo said that he only offered criticism.

Mr Khan went on to say that Gen Ziaul Haq was responsible for the execution of

former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and that Gen Yahya Khan was to blame for Dhaka's fall. He maintained that if injustices are committed, criticism of the military should not be muted.

However, earlier in May, Mr Khan refused to cave in to the military's demands, rejecting calls to apologise for the May 9 events and distance his party from last year's violent rallies that erupted across the country following his incarceration.

“Why should the onus be on me to apologise? The apology should be addressed to me," the former prime minister remarked.