Warns PTI founders will suffer losses due to confrontational politics with state as TTAP accepts dialogue offer
Advisor to the Prime Minister and senior PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah. Photo: APP/ File
Advisor to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Political Affairs, Senator Rana Sanaullah, has stated that the Prime Minister offered talks to 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 the Islamabad High Court (IHC) bench had laid down the procedure for meetings with the jailed former prime minister, which stipulated that there would be no political activity after the meetings. However, he claimed that after the meetings the atmosphere changes, with press conferences and even fights breaking out.
Read: The political dialogue comes to a standstill as the government fails to follow up on the prime minister’s offer
The Prime Minister’s counsel noted that Salman Akram Raja assured the court that due process would be followed during the meetings. If the law is followed, Sanaullah said, there will be no hindrance to meetings, questioning why the PTI is not approaching the court if the jail authorities do not comply with the IHC’s order.
Sanaullah said there should be no doubt about the government’s intentions about the opposition leader. He added that when Shehbaz sent an invitation for talks, it was claimed that he did not have the authority.
He said the opposition now claims that when it announces a move, the government is talking about negotiations. The opposition believes its movement will succeed and the government is trying to capture it through negotiations, he added.
The adviser said the opposition should try to stall on February 5 and then talks can resume.
Stating his belief that the PTI founder does not want talks, Sanaullah pointed out that when the PTI is in government, it does not talk to the opposition. He warned that the PTI founder will suffer losses due to a politics of confrontation with the state.
Read more: Sana: No ‘minus-Imran’ condition for talks
Meanwhile, the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Aeen Pakistan (TTAP) formally accepted the prime minister’s offer of political dialogue on 24 December. However, no follow-up engagement has taken place so far, leaving the process at a standstill in the declaration phase.
Vice Chairman TTAP Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar then stated that the responsibility now rests with the government. He said that if the authorities were not serious about their offer, the opposition had effectively called their bluff.
But if the intention was really to steer the country out of its political and economic crisis, Khokhar said, his party was ready to play its role in the larger national interest.
