"I'm a politician and ready to talk," says incarcerated Imran Khan

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, who is facing several charges and is currently incarcerated at Adiala jail, once again expressed his willingness to engage in political dialogue.

Talking to journalists in Rawalpindi's prison, the former prime minister said: "For the last 19 months, I've been saying that I'm ready to talk... I'm a politician."

Following the May 9 mayhem, in which several military and civil installations were allegedly targeted by PTI workers post-Imran arrest, the party and its leadership have been facing multiple challenges to become a part of the February 8 elections.

The May 9 incident has led to a shattered PTI leadership as several party stalwarts, including Fawad Chaudhry, Shireen Mazari, Parvez Khattak, Ali Zaidi, Imran Ismail, and others, left the former ruling party after brief abductions.

In the latest setback, the Election Commission of Pakistan had stripped PTI of its iconic bat symbol, which was later overturned by the Peshawar High Court, but the Supreme Court reinstated the electoral body's decision.

Over 700 PTI candidates, who are vying for National Assembly and Provincial assemblies seats, will be contesting elections as independent candidates with different electoral symbols.

With several party leaders incarcerated or under house arrest, PTI is currently unable to conduct effective election campaigns.

On the other hand, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the major rivals of PTI, have kicked off their election campaigns across the country.

“My biggest mistake was to accept a weak government. Instead of a weak government, I should have held elections again. It would be better to sit in the opposition rather than a weak coalition government,” Khan said while talking about the current political turmoil in the country.

However, Mr Khan, who enjoys the status of the most popular leader in the country, is out of the electoral race as a returning officer (RO) rejected his nomination papers from the NA-122 and NA-89 constituencies.

Later, the Lahore High Court also turned down his appeal against the rejection of nomination papers for the February 8 general elections.