National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq said on Tuesday that a visiting delegation of US lawmakers had made no mention of jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan during their recent engagements in Islamabad.
In a statement, Sadiq said the congressional delegation, which held a series of meetings with government officials and politicians on the sidelines of the Pakistan Minerals Forum 2025, made it clear that they had no interest or role in Pakistan’s internal political affairs.
His remarks came in response to PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, who alleged that leaders of his party were deliberately excluded from official interactions with the delegation.
Gohar claimed he was not notified of any meetings and received no formal or informal invitation.
Rejecting the claim, Sadiq said that Gohar and PTI chief whip Amir Dogar were both invited to a dinner hosted for the US delegation, but chose not to attend.
“It was an opportunity for PTI leaders to speak directly with the Americans — the same people they often appeal to for support,” he said.
The speaker said other PTI leaders, including Atif Khan and Dr Amjad, did participate in the meeting and confirmed afterwards that no discussions were held regarding Imran Khan’s legal situation or his potential release.
Atif Khan said he was unaware whether Gohar or other senior PTI figures had received invitations, adding that representatives from several political parties and federal ministers attended.
Sadiq also said that leaders from the ruling coalition partner, Pakistan People’s Party, had used the meeting to raise concerns about canal-related issues in Sindh and Punjab.
“Thirty people spoke about canals, but the opposition missed its chance to bring forward its points,” he added.
The speaker noted that when the PPP tabled a resolution on the issue in parliament, he had reminded them it had already been debated, and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar had issued a statement addressing the matter.
Sadiq went on to criticise the opposition’s handling of parliamentary proceedings, stating that legislation was being delayed due to a lack of quorum and non-attendance.
“Production orders were issued, jails declared as sub-jails, and all proceedings were documented and available online,” he said.
Reiterating his commitment to dialogue, Sadiq shared that he was in contact with Balochistan National Party-M chief Akhtar Mengal and JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman to explore ways to improve cooperation.
