Amid reports of an “indirect dialogue” with the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has strongly opposed talks with their political nemesis.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Saturday conditioned the holding of any dialogue with the PTI with an apology by party founder and former prime minister Imran Khan for allegedly staging May 9 violence last year.
The protests saw attacks on public properties including military installations following 71-year-old Khan’s arrest in a corruption case, Dawn News reported.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also opposed the talks with the former ruling party, saying he is not in favour of any such dialogue. Previously, the ruling parties extended an olive branch to the Khan-founded party several times but to no avail as the latter said he will only hold talks with those wielding real power in the country.
The ruling party leaders’ statements came amid reports that the PML-N had purportedly approached Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai for holding talks with the PTI. Achakzai, who also heads the opposition alliance Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain-e-Pakistan, was nominated by jailed Khan to hold talks with the ruling parties.
Responding to the report, Asif told journalists that he was not part of the “team assigned to talk to the PkMAP chairman”.
When asked whether talks should be held with the former ruling party, the PML-N stalwart said: “I’m not in favour of negotiations.”
Iqbal also opposed dialogue with PTI until Khan “apologises for the violence carried out on May 9”.
Criticising the PTI, the minister accused the party of causing more damage than terrorists and questioned the possibility of dialogue with such individuals.
Earlier on August 3, Khan said he was open to talks but only within the “ambit provisioned by the Constitution”.
The cricketer-turned-politician had clarified that he asked Achakzai to negotiate with political parties.
“Achakzai will only [hold] talks with political parties,” he said.
Meanwhile, PML-N President Nawaz Sharif proposed an across-the-board dialogue involving all political parties, including the PTI as well as the state institutions, to steer Pakistan out of crises.
The proposal to take everyone on board was floated amid attempts by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to court their former ally, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who had announced a solo flight against the government earlier this month.
“All political parties, governments, and institutions should join hands in decision-making. [They] need to sit together to steer the country out of crises,” a statement issued by the PML-N after a meeting on Saturday quoted the elder Sharif as saying. However, in response to a question about negotiations with the government, PTI leader Asad Qaiser questioned the sincerity of the offer and said the government was uncertain about the dialogue and making contradictory statements.
He said the statement of PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif was followed by a statement from Defence Minister Khawaja Asif that the government would not talk to the PTI.
Asked if Sharif’s statement was more important, the former National Assembly speaker said Khan had already nominated Achakzai to hold negotiations with the government and that if the ruling party is serious about the offer, it should get in touch with the PkMAP chief rather than giving suggestions. The PTI Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub, also said his party was ready to hold talks provided that the Shehbaz administration freed PTI prisoners, including Khan.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan also said that his party had not offered any talks to the incumbent ruling party. “The PTI neither offered any talks nor sought any favours,” Barrister Gohar said while speaking to Geo News on Sunday.
