- Party demands serious, unconditional talks; vows to carry on movement till formation of JC
- Govt welcomes PTI’s desire to talk, believes it will augur well for talks if PTI calls off protests
Following the violent clashes in Faisalabad a day earlier, the government and the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf have concluded that resumption of talks is the only way to end the political impasse in the country.
The PTI showed its willingness to resume talks with the government during its core committee meeting earlier in the day, while two close aides of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told Pakistan Today that the government welcomes the talks offer and would respond positively it.
“If PTI takes one step forward, we will take two steps towards the negotiation table,” said Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, who is also deputy head of the government’s negotiation team formed earlier to hold talks with the protesting PTI.
Separately, sources said that the premier is said to deliberate with senior leadership of PML-N and heads of other political parties for setting an agenda for talks with PTI.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Special Adviser to PM on National Affairs Irfan Siddiqui said the government’s negotiating panel, headed by Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar was ready to resume dialogue with PTI “on Wednesday or Thursday after consultation with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)”.
Asked whether the government would still be asking PTI to first postpone its scheduled protests in Lahore and Karachi, Siddiqui said that the government does not want to put forward any pre-requisites for talks, however adding that it would be better for the PTI leadership to postpone the protests as any violent incident may “jeopardise the dialogue process”.
Insisting that the government was serious about dialogue since August 14, Siddiqui said that it was actually PTI Chairman Imran Khan who had earlier called off the dialogue.
He said that if the PM had not wanted to respond to PTI demands of probing alleged election rigging, he could have engaged PTI in talks and announced the formation of a judicial commission “after a long discourse”.
PTI WANTS UNCONDITIONAL TALKS:
Earlier, during a meeting of PTI’s core committee in Islamabad, the PTI leadership decided to open a dialogue channel with the ruling PML-N for the formation of a judicial commission to probe allegations of massive vote fraud during 2013 General Elections.
A source in the PTI top decision-making body told Pakistan Today that during the meeting, the PTI members were angry over the allegations leveled by PML-N leader Rana Sanauallah regarding the killing of a PTI activist in Faisalabad and the registration of criminal cases against PTI’s top leadership but the PTI chief advised them to keep calm.
When contacted, PTI leader Shafqat Mahmood confirmed that the core committee meeting discussed “immense pressure” from within the party ranks, asking the chairman “not to hold future dialogue” with the government.
“However, we are democratic people and strongly believe in negotiations. So the party chief has decided to open a dialogue channel with the government,” said Mehmood but added that “dialogue and protests will continue side by side”.
PTI would continue the dialogue from where it was earlier abandoned, he said, adding that agreed points would not be renegotiated.
Talking to Pakistan Today, PTI Punjab Information Secretary Andleeb Abbas also reiterated Mehmood’s stance.
The core committee decided with majority to resume the dialogue where it had been discontinued. The five and a half points already agreed upon between the two sides will not be negotiated, she said, adding that the party also decided to continue its scheduled protests to keep the government “under pressure”.
“The meeting also discussed different proposals about the nitty-gritty of the planning to hold protests in Lahore, Karachi, and then across country,” she said and added that several party leaders have been tasked to contact various parties for joining the protest call.
PTI REFUSES TO CALL OFF PROTESTS:
Talking to media after the core committee meeting, PTI Information Secretary Shireen Mazari asked the government to enter into serious dialogue but vowed that PTI’s protest demonstration against alleged rigging would continue till the formation of a judicial commission.
“We are ready for serious dialogue with the government but we will continue our movement till conclusive talks,” she said, adding that PTI would not accept any condition from the government for resumption of negotiations which should start from the point where they were suspended.
Condemning the murder of PTI worker in Faisalabad, Mazari asked the government as to why the killer could not be arrested as yet.
Earlier, stating that PTI’s protests in Lahore and Karachi will be held per schedule, PTI Punjab President Ejaz Chaudhry reportedly said, “When they (government) feel the heat, only then will they give in.”
