PM says dialogue is possible on legitimate issues as PTI founder’s sister rules out talks
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chairs a federal cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad. PHOTO: PID
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that the government was open to dialogue with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf but would not accept what he called “illegal demands or blackmail”.
He made the remarks while addressing a federal cabinet meeting in Islamabad.
“These days, PTI and its allies are talking about dialogue. I have repeatedly stated in the National Assembly that if PTI is serious about talks, the government is equally prepared,” the prime minister said.
However, Shehbaz said the talks could only move forward if they focused on “legitimate issues.”
He emphasized that political harmony between all parties was essential for Pakistan’s development and prosperity.
Meanwhile, Aleema Khan, sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, has rejected the idea of dialogue by the party.
Speaking to reporters outside Rawalpindi’s anti-terror court a day earlier, she said any party leader advocating talks was neither aligned with Imran Khan nor with the PTI.
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She also said that she was unaware of the communique issued after a two-day conference of the Pakistan Constitution Protection Movement and had not been formally informed about it.
On Monday, the opposition alliance released a joint statement after two days of meetings in Islamabad.
The statement included demands for an investigation into the February 24 parliamentary election and called for dialogue with the government.
Responding to the opposition’s demands, the Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz that the government was not opposed to dialogue.
The Pakistan Peoples Party, a key coalition partner in the federal government, also supported talks, but with conditions.
This was told by PPP Secretary Nayyer Bukhari Express Pakinomist that dialogue would only be meaningful if confidence-building measures were taken.
“They want dialogue with some other circles,” he said.
