ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said on Friday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would decide on initiating talks with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) once the opposition party clearly states its position on negotiations.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Shehbaz offered talks with the opposition, stressing that dialogue could only take place on “legitimate matters”. While the PTI rejected the offer on the instructions of party founder Imran Khan, the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) — an opposition alliance that includes the PTI — expressed willingness to negotiate.
Speaking in a TV talk show, Sanaullah said that around 85 per cent of TTAP members belonged to the PTI, who had already declared they would not take part in talks. He said the remaining opposition is comprised of TTAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
“We are hopeful that either the entire opposition comes to the table or at least the 15 per cent that is willing to engage,” he said, reiterating that dialogue remained the government’s priority.
However, Sanaullah expressed reservations about talks with the PTI, alleging that the party pursued parallel strategies of negotiation and confrontation. “On one hand, they talk about sitting at the table, while on the other they plan street agitation and marches,” he said, warning that any attempt to spread unrest would be dealt with according to the law.
He added that once the PTI clarified its stance, Prime Minister Shehbaz would decide whether to form a negotiation committee or meet opposition leaders directly.
Meanwhile, KP Chief Minister’s aide on information and public relations Shafiullah Jan reiterated the PTI’s refusal to engage in talks with the current government, saying the party wanted a result-oriented process rather than unconditional negotiations.
Jan said Imran Khan had assigned responsibility for talks to Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas. He said drafts discussed during the recent TTAP conference made it clear that negotiations would not begin without conditions.
He said the demands included fresh elections under a new Election Commission of Pakistan, the release of Imran Khan, and the release of senior PTI leaders and family members.
Jan added that Achakzai had full authority to decide on negotiations, protests or other political actions, and that the PTI would support whatever course of action he chose. He also said the party was preparing a street movement, adding that negotiation and mobilisation could run in parallel.
Calls for dialogue have grown amid Pakistan’s ongoing political crisis. During a recent TTAP national conference, opposition leaders agreed that the door to dialogue should remain open in a democracy and stressed the need for a new Charter of Democracy.
Political leaders across party lines, including those from the ruling PML-N, have also urged restraint and dialogue to stabilise the country. Recently, five jailed PTI leaders wrote a letter from Kot Lakhpat jail, stating that dialogue was the only viable way to steer Pakistan out of its current crises.
