Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal on Friday accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of becoming an "instrument of anti-state lobbies" after the main opposition party announced it would take up the cases of its incarcerated leader Imran Khan before international institutions. "The keys of a nuclear state were given to a person who doesn't even have the experience to run a union council," Iqbal said, apparently referring to the allegations that Imran Khan came to power through a backdoor in 2018, during a press conference in Karachi. He blamed the former ruling party for plunging the country into a quagmire due to its "mismanagement and incompetence." The federal minister also praised Pakistan's remittances reaching a whopping $3.1 billion in December, marking a 29.3% year-on-year increase. He termed the surge a failure of PTI's appeals to overseas Pakistanis to boycott remittances. Jailed PTI founder Khan last month called on his supporters to launch an anti-government movement by withholding remittances in the first phase. Amid the announcement, PTI and the government began negotiations, with two rounds of talks held so far. In today's press conference, the federal minister emphasised that political stability was crucial for attracting foreign investment to the country. Responding to PTI leaders' calls for taking up Khan's cases at international forums, Iqbal said the opposition party had become an "instrument of anti-state lobbies." "We had never taken up our grievances over fabricated cases before the US," he added, referring to the cases against the incumbent ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders during the tenure of ex-PM Khan. Earlier today, Aleema Khan, the sister of the imprisoned PTI founder, warned that she would seek the intervention of international institutions regarding the numerous cases filed against her brother. He also termed PTI's demand for Khan's release via executive order as "NRO" — a term derived from former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf's National Reconciliation Ordinance in 2007, which granted amnesty to politicians, political workers, and bureaucrats accused of corruption, money laundering, murder, and terrorism. According to the senior PML-N leader, the federal government could not intervene in the release of the PTI founder from jail, once again stressing that the former prime minister, who faces a plethora of charges, should pursue his release via the courts. A war of words continues between the government and the opposition despite the two sides entering a negotiation process after months of political tug-of-war. Both sides held two negotiation sessions on December 27, 2024, and January 2, 2025. During the last meeting, it was agreed that the PTI would present its charter of demands in the next session after meeting with the jailed prime minister. The third round of talks would be scheduled once the PTI leaders had met Khan.