The Speaker of the National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. PHOTO: FACEBOOK
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reportedly given the go-ahead to National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to continue negotiations between the government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), sources said on Wednesday, a significant development in efforts to cool political temperatures.
Parliamentary sources said the government agreed to participate in the talks at the request of the Speaker of Parliament. However, the discussions will only take place with elected representatives of the PTI, while no engagement is planned with non-elected figures of the party.
Despite the government’s desire, the sources said, no PTI leader has yet officially contacted the president’s office to begin the negotiation process, and initial outreach efforts remain pending from the opposition.
President Ayaz Sadiq has meanwhile retained the existing parliamentary committee structure. The sources said that if the opposition shows its willingness, the speaker is ready to immediately convene a meeting of the committee to begin formal discussions.
However, despite the speaker’s previous invitation, no contact has yet taken place from the opposition side. The president has already offered the PTI the possibility of attending the negotiations within his parliamentary chamber.
The last formal interaction between PTI representatives and the President took place over the appointment of Mahmood Khan Achakzai as Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly.
