Warns PTI founder to suffer losses due to policy of confrontation with state as TTAP accepts dialogue offer
Advisor to the Prime Minister and senior leader of the PML-N, Rana Sanaullah. Photo: APP/File
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s advisor on political affairs, Senator Rana Sanaullah, said the prime minister had proposed talks to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after consulting Nawaz Sharif and the establishment, but believes that Imran Khan is not interested in talks.
Speaking to the media, Sanaullah said that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had determined the procedure to be followed for the meetings with the incarcerated former prime minister, which stipulated that there would be no political activities after the meetings. However, he argued that after the meetings the atmosphere changes, with press conferences held and even fights breaking out.
Read: Political dialogue stalled as government fails to follow up on Prime Minister’s offer
The Prime Minister’s advisor noted that Salman Akram Raja had assured the court that procedure would be followed during the meetings. If the law is followed, Sanaullah said, there will be no hurdle in the meetings, wondering why the PTI is not approaching the court if the jail authorities are not complying with the IHC order.
Sanaullah said there should be no doubt about the government’s intentions towards the opposition leader. He added that when Shehbaz extended an invitation for negotiations, it was claimed that he did not have the authority to do so.
He added that the opposition now claims that when it announces a movement, the government is talking about negotiations. The opposition believes its movement will succeed and the government is trying to trap it through negotiations, he added.
The adviser said the opposition should try to grind the wheels to a halt on February 5 and talks could then resume.
Sanaullah said the PTI founder did not want negotiations, pointing out that when the PTI is in government, it does not talk to the opposition. He warned that the PTI founder would suffer losses due to his confrontational policies with the state.
Learn more: Sana: No “minus-Imran” condition for negotiations
Meanwhile, the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Aeen Pakistan (TTAP) formally accepted the Prime Minister’s offer of political dialogue on December 24. However, no follow-up engagement has taken place so far, leaving the process stuck at the declaratory stage.
TTAP vice-president Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar later said the responsibility now lies with the government. He said that if the authorities were not serious in their offer, the opposition had actually been bluffing.
However, if the intention was truly to lead the country out of its political and economic crisis, Khokhar said, his party was ready to play its role in the broader national interest.
