Former PTI leader Faisal Vawda stated on Saturday that, despite the current closure of negotiation channels, the party must find a way to initiate talks with the establishment. He emphasized that dialogue remained the key to resolving all issues. “I have been stressing this for quite some time,” he added. Vawda criticized PTI leaders and social media activists for maligning the Pakistan Army, which he said had achieved victory in a war against India. “Our soldiers are shedding their blood defending the country, yet these individuals continue to malign them. It is deeply unfortunate,” he remarked. He advised PTI leaders to focus on national issues and channel their criticism toward political opponents instead. “You are free to criticize me—you are welcome to—but what we are witnessing instead is abuse, violence, and agitation,” he said. The politician warned that no one should assume that attacks on opponents would go unanswered. He also lamented that the more rational voices within the PTI were being stifled and prevented from speaking freely. “To make matters worse, these individuals are trolled by their own party members,” he added. He recalled that when a narcotics case was filed against PML-N stalwart Rana Sanaullah, he vehemently opposed it. Vawda said that the former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan was now in a blind alley. He said that if Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi would take 20 steps back, the establishment would take one step forward. He said that the countdown for those indulging in anti-state propaganda had begun.