RAWALPINDI: Amid ongoing talks between the major opposition party and the coalition government to settle political disputes, jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Monday slammed the deferment of the £190m case's verdict by terming it a "pressure tactic" of rulers. "They want a sword hanging on my neck by not giving a verdict of £190m case," Aleema quoted the former premier as saying while talking to reporters outside Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail. This statement came after Islamabad's accountability court postponed the case's verdict till January 13 earlier today. It was the third time that the verdict — reserved on December 18 — in the said case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case, has been deferred as it was previously scheduled to be announced on December 23 and then on January 6. Aleema said that the PTI founder "wants them to sentence him so entire world would know what kind of case is this". She said that Imran would immediately challenge the accountability court's verdict in the high court if he is sentenced. Slamming the rulers, Imran's sister said that the government was giving the impression that the PTI founder wanted to get out of jail after striking an NRO-like deal. The NRO is a term derived from former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf's National Reconciliation Ordinance back in 2007 to grant amnesty to politicians, political workers and bureaucrats who were accused of corruption, money laundering, murders and terrorism. She also claimed that the government attempted to send Imran out of the country for three years and later offered him "house arrest" in return for "staying silent" to let the incumbent function She said that Imran emphasised securing his release after proving his innocence via legal battle. Aleema also rejected the impression of any "backdoor talks" with the PTI founder, saying that Imran made it very clear that no behind the scenes developments were taking place other than the negotiations between the former ruling party and government committees. "The PTI founder had given a two-point agenda to its dialogue committee, including constitution of a judicial commission on May 9 and November 26 incidents and release of political prisoners," she reiterated. The ex-premier also urged the government to expect only a quick response from the PTI after exhibiting seriousness in negotiating disputed matters from its side. "Things will move forward after PTI's dialogue committee meets Imran to apprise him about developments, however, it is not being allowed to meet him so far," she added. Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan also spoke to journalists outside the Adiala Jail today. He emphasised that a meeting with the PTI founder was necessary before the third round of negotiations with the government. Amid no progress in the ongoing parleys between the major opposition party and the government despite two rounds of talks, the deadlock between the two sides has been attributed to the PTI negotiators' inability to meet their jailed party founder Imran Khan and present written demands to the government, sources told . The existing stalemate comes after the two sides, following months of heightened political tensions, commenced much-hyped negotiations of which two meetings were held on December 27, 2024 and on January 2, 2025. "We had informed the government's dialogue committee about their willingness to meet Imran. We were hoping that the meeting would be arranged today, however, there is no confirmation yet,” said Gohar. The PTI chairman hoped that they would meet Imran tomorrow and also clarified that Bushra Bibi was not part of the negotiation process. He categorically refuted rumours of "backdoor talks" with former premier's wife parallel to the PTI's dialogue committee which held two meetings with the government. He reiterated that the PTI founder had given a timeframe for holding dialogue, referring to the "cut-off date" of January 31. Commenting on £190m case, Gohar said that Imran "did not gain any personal benefits from Al-Qadir Trust case and want to see verdict". He added that witnesses had also apprised the court that the PTI founder has no direct link in the case and hoped for Imran and Bushra's acquittal. The former prime minister along with his wife and others have been accused by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) of causing a loss of £190 million to the national exchequer via a settlement between the PTI government and a property tycoon. The said case is part of the plethora of legal challenges faced by the incarcerated PTI founder who has been behind bars since August last year after he was sentenced in Toshakhana case-I.