- NA speaker contacted Prime Minister, progress likely in a day or two: Sana.
- “The decision in the Al-Qadir Trust case will not derail the negotiation process.”
- Commitments should not be called negotiations: PTI spokesperson.
A day after PTI founder Imran Khan issued a new ultimatum to launch a civil disobedience movement if his “legitimate demands” are not met, the Prime Minister’s aide on political affairs, Rana Sanaullah, hinted at “progress” in negotiations with the former ruling party. , reiterating that political issues must be resolved through dialogue.
“The President of the National Assembly has contacted the Prime Minister (…) I think there will be progress in this regard in a day or two,” he said in response to a question regarding the formation of the government committee for negotiations with the PTI. on Geo News program ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’.
The imprisoned PTI founder — in an article on and the November 26 crackdown on the PTI. demonstrators will not be welcomed on Sunday (December 22).
“These are two legitimate demands, and if the government does not implement them by Sunday, the first phase of the civil disobedience movement, the ‘boycott of remittances’, will be launched,” added the ousted prime minister. .
The Prime Minister’s supportive statement comes against the backdrop of the prevailing ambiguity surrounding the PTI-government dialogue that has been in the news ever since Imran formed a negotiating committee.
Earlier this week, the former ruling party’s reports and the government’s agreement to use the parliamentary forum for negotiations were released following a meeting between PTI stalwart Asad Qaiser and the President of the AN, Ayaz Sadiq.
However, Qaiser dismissed the reports saying he visited Sadiq’s residence to offer condolences. “No discussion regarding negotiations took place with the president (of the AN),” he added. Similarly, the government also said that no negotiations with the PTI have been initiated.
Speaking on today’s show, Sanaullah said every issue can be discussed, but no guarantee can be given as to which requests will be accepted or not. “If they are forcing us to accept these demands, then why are negotiations necessary?”
Replying to a question, he said the PTI negotiating committee was in touch with National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. Furthermore, he said that the current political crisis actually started in 2018, adding that his party had suffered all this that the PTI was complaining about.
Asked if the verdict in the Al-Qadir Trust case, expected to be announced on Monday (December 23), would derail negotiations, the prime minister’s aide said the case was pending before a court in trial, adding that he did not think the decision would impact the negotiation process.
“The PTI will not move”
Meanwhile, PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram said his party had constituted a negotiating committee. “It feels like our party has surrendered,” he said, adding that was not the case.
“It is their (government’s) duty to start negotiations, we will not take the first step,” Akram clarified. In response to a question about Geo News ‘Naya Pakistan’ program, he said engagements between the government and PTI are taking place but they should not be termed as negotiations.
A day earlier, Imran had said the PTI’s offer to negotiate was “ridiculed” and gave the impression that the party had surrendered. “The offer of talks and delay of the civil disobedience movement was made in the broader national interest.”
“If the government shows no interest, we will not impose negotiations on it. Our offer should never be taken as a sign of our weakness. If the government still wants to prevent the civil disobedience movement, it should contact us about of our two demands or convince us that they are unconstitutional and cannot be resolved,” he added.