PM Shehbaz gives green signal to speaker Ayaz Sadiq for PTI talks

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has given his approval for negotiations between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

According to sources, the prime minister has authorized Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to lead the talks, and the government delegation is ready to participate at the Speaker’s request.

Government sources emphasized that negotiations will only involve elected representatives of PTI, and discussions with non-elected members will not take place.

Meanwhile, sources from the Speaker’s office stated that no PTI leader has formally contacted them for talks yet. Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has maintained the parliamentary committee, and if the opposition shows willingness, he will convene its meeting immediately.

Parliamentary sources noted that despite the Speaker’s offer, the opposition has not reached out so far. The Speaker has invited PTI leaders to visit his chamber for discussions.

It is worth noting that PTI’s last meeting with the Speaker was held to appoint Mahmood Achakzai as the opposition leader.

Meanwhile, Adviser to Prime Minister on Political Affairs and Senator Rana Sanaullah Khan has said that the government is fully prepared for political dialogue with the opposition and for moving democracy forward.

Speaking on a private TV programme, Senator Rana Sanaullah said that the DG ISPR has on several occasions clarified that it is not the military’s mandate to hold talks with political parties.

Negotiations take place among political parties themselves, and that is their mandate.

He said the government is completely ready for political dialogue with the opposition and to advance democracy. It is now up to PTI whether it wants to engage in dialogue or not. The PTI founder, he added, has said that he does not want negotiations but instead wants to launch a street movement.

Rana Sanaullah said the PTI founder wants a repeat of May 9, along with chaos and anarchy, and that his agenda is clear. He claimed that the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sohail Afridi, is running around on the founder’s instructions. He further said PTI’s planned wheel-jam strike would fail badly and that the public would outright reject it.