TTAP signals willingness to engage the government in negotiations on constitutional protection

Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan (TTAP) has decided to respond positively to the government’s offer of talks on constitutional protection, sources in the opposition alliance said. Express Pakinomist after a consultative meeting held in Islamabad a day earlier.

The meeting was attended by senior opposition leaders including Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas. Other participants included Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Asad Qaiser, Ikhwanzada Hussain Yousafzai and Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry, sources said.

During the session, members discussed the government’s negotiating offer and reviewed statements made by Prime Minister’s Political Affairs Adviser Rana Sanaullah. The central leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) advised the alliance leaders to approach the government, sources added.

After the meeting, Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas were given permission to advance the negotiation process. The alliance’s leadership plans to hold discussions with key government figures during Ramazan.

Read: IHC removes objections against Imran, Bushra appeals in Toshakhana-II case

PTI leader Junaid Akbar expressed conditional support for the talks, saying, “We are political actors and believe in the process of negotiation. We want to solve problems through compromise and dialogue…but the government must also correct its approach.”

Another senior leader, Atif Khan, confirmed progress, stating: “The opposition alliance session included all member parties. Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Nasir Abbas have been entrusted with the negotiations. We will formally respond to the government and inform the public that our position has been communicated. We support dialogue for Pakistan and the constitution.”

The government had extended a fresh olive branch to the opposition. The offer came from Sanaullah in response to a speech in the Senate by the opposition leader, who had demanded the formation of a parliamentary committee to meet the jailed former prime minister, Ian Khan, and investigate his health condition.

“Let us sit together to strengthen and carry forward the charter of democracy,” Sanaullah said last week, adding that the government was ready for dialogue to strengthen democracy and avoid confrontation and deadlock. “We are ready to sit with you for the betterment of the country,” he asserted, maintaining that parties in the current ruling coalition had stressed the need for talks even when the PTI was in power.

Also read: Soldier martyred in tank drone strike as three abducted brothers found dead in Bannu

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the TTAP leadership expressed serious concern over a recent rise in terrorist attacks across the country and urged the government to formulate a comprehensive national strategy against terrorism.

At a meeting of the alliance’s central committee held at Khokhar’s residence during an iftar gathering in Islamabad, participants expressed concern over escalating attacks, particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Participants urged the federal government to formulate a comprehensive national counter-terrorism strategy in consultation with provincial governments, political stakeholders and the public.

The opposition also expressed alarm at what it described as a worsening dispute with Afghanistan and urged both countries to avoid further confrontation. It urged the initiation of “serious, sincere and meaningful negotiations” to resolve the issue of terrorism, suggesting engagement with neighboring countries as well as friendly governments such as Saudi Arabia and Türkiye to prevent further bloodshed and external interference in Pakistan and the wider region.

The alliance demanded that former prime minister Ian Khan be immediately moved to Shifa International Hospital for specialized medical treatment and given access to his personal doctors. It called for an end to restrictions on his access to lawyers and family members, describing him as “unjustly imprisoned” and demanding his release.

TTAP condemned what it called the government’s continued “unlawful secrecy” regarding Ian Khan’s health and medical treatment. It reiterated that he should be examined by his personal physicians, Drs. Faisal Sultan and Dr. Asim Yousaf.

Opposition leaders expressed concern over the alleged withholding of medical reports and test results from his family and warned that any criminal negligence regarding his health could worsen the country’s political crisis.

They also expressed concern over the health of the detained Sunni Muslim Ittehad Council Chairman, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, and demanded the release of all political prisoners, including Khan, Bushra Bibi, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Ejaz Chaudhry, Ali Wazir and Mahrang Baloch.

Read more: TTAP criticizes government policies, demands elections and medical attention for Imran Khan

The alliance criticized the government over worsening economic conditions and attributed what it described as incompetence. Citing newly released figures, opposition leaders claimed poverty had risen to 29 percent and unemployment had reached a 21-year high.

They said that despite official claims of major economic deals, both foreign and domestic investment had fallen sharply. According to the opposition, the reported exit of hundreds of multinational companies from the Pakistani market in recent months reflected a worsening risk profile.

The executives also criticized the reported purchase of Gulfstream jets worth billions by the Treasury, claiming the move, coupled with what they called misleading justifications, had added to public grievances.

They maintained that as long as the government’s popularity and legal legitimacy were in question, and as long as it continued to undermine the legal system and the rule of law, prospects for investment and economic recovery would remain limited.

Also read: UAE condemns terror attacks in Pakistan amid new security concerns

The opposition announced that in the coming months it will present an alternative budget and policy proposals, drawn up with the assistance of experts, aimed at offering solutions to the country’s economic and legal crises.

The TTAP leadership also expressed concern over escalating regional tensions, claiming that the US and Israel were trying to encircle Iran and justify military action against it. Leaders pointed to what they described as major U.S. naval and military preparations in the Middle East.

They warned that any possible US attack on Iran could lead to regional devastation and urged the government to play a diplomatic role in preventing such an outcome.

The opposition further criticized the government’s reported decision to join US President Donald Trump’s “Peace Council”, warning that participation by Pakistan and other Muslim countries could strengthen Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and contribute to the prospect of war with Iran.

According to the alliance, the proposed “Peace Council” was positioned as a non-representative alternative to the UN, and the exclusion of Palestinians from it revealed its underlying intentions. It argued that Pakistan should not be part of such an initiative.