- Ali Bukhari questions the seriousness of the government in negotiations with the PTI.
- He says it is always up to the government to initiate negotiations to resolve disputes.
- Fazal Ch says the PTI protests were neither political nor peaceful.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Ali Bukhari’s lawyer said his party was ready to enter into negotiations but the government was not serious about taking the initiative to engage with the opposition party, noting that the civil disobedience movement was temporarily delayed, but not completely canceled.
The PTI leader’s remarks come hours after the current Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government ruled out any talks with the embattled PTI, with “the sword of civil disobedience hanging around its neck “.
“For the first time, a pleasant breeze has come from the opposition… but talks cannot be held at gunpoint,” Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said in a speech on Tuesday before the National Assembly.
The imprisoned PTI founder — in an article on PTI protesters and the release of its “political prisoners” are not satisfied.
The ousted prime minister also constituted a five-member negotiating committee comprising Omar Ayub Khan, Ali Amin Gandapur, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Salman Akram Raja and Asad Qaiser.
Earlier in the day, Bukhari reiterated the party’s willingness to engage in dialogue, saying: “We have always acted responsibly. Our committee remains ready for dialogue. However, the government has not shown any seriousness.”
“PTI founder Imran Khan only “postponed the civil disobedience movement, but he did not completely cancel it,” the former ruling party member said, speaking on Geo NewsCapital Talk program on Tuesday.
It is always the government’s responsibility to engage in dialogue to resolve differences, Bukhari stressed.
Speaking during the same programme, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) leader Hafiz Hamdullah distanced his party from the former ruling party’s call for civil disobedience, saying the JUI-F would not support the PTI in its civil disobedience campaign. However, he said his party would support the PTI in Parliament on a thematic basis.
Meanwhile, PML-N leader Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry hailed the achievement of PTI’s political commitment, saying it is encouraging that the Imran Khan-led political party now realizes that politics is the solution to all problems.
However, he criticized the PTI’s previous actions, pointing out that peaceful protest is everyone’s right, but the PTI protests were neither peaceful nor political, as according to him, they were nothing but a attack by armed groups.
Dr Chaudhry stressed the importance of democratic norms for political parties to resolve their issues politically through negotiations. He criticized PTI saying it calls itself a political party while talking about marching on Islamabad.
Mixed signals
Earlier on Tuesday, PTI lawmakers, during a speech in the lower house of the legislature, expressed their willingness to hold negotiations with the government, but asserted that they “would not beg for it”, the firebrand politician Sher Afzal Marwat affirming that the terms of reference (TOR) should be provided for the negotiations.
Speaking before the National Assembly, Marwat said no negotiations would bear fruit unless “political forces discuss the terms of reference”, adding that they would later have to discuss the terms of reference with the establishment.
PTI MP Ali Muhammad Khan slammed the ruling government for opening fire on protesters in Islamabad on November 26, saying politicians do not fire bullets, but talk.
“During our tenure, the PPP and JUI-F held long protests but not a single bullet was fired,” he said, adding that their hands were not “stained with blood”.
“When we did not give rights to West Pakistan, they created Bangladesh,” he said, wondering what would have happened if they had been allowed to form the government.
He stressed that his party would not ask for talks. “If you think you can run the country excluding Imran Khan, try it,” he added.