Withdraw civil disobedience movement for talks: Rana
Federal Minister for Information, Ataullah Tarar, has firmly rejected recent reports claiming that the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf have entered into negotiations.
Speaking in an interview to a private television channel, Tarar said that there have been no formal talks between the government and PTI.
“There have been no meetings or discussions between the Prime Minister and PTI leader Asad Qaiser,” Tarar stated, adding that such claims were baseless. He explained that the meeting between PTI leaders and Speaker of the National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq, which was misreported as part of political negotiations, was simply a condolence visit following the passing of the Speaker’s sister.
Tarar further emphasised that PTI must first clarify its position on the events of 9 May and November 26, which have caused significant political and social unrest. “Before any talks can happen, PTI needs to explain who was behind these incidents,” he said.
The minister also raised concerns about PTI’s trustworthiness, citing the party’s history of backing out of commitments, including during the 26th Constitutional Amendment.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Advisor to the Prime Minister and senior PML-N leader Rana Sanaullahhas expressed conditional willingness to engage in negotiations with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf while calling for the withdrawal of PTI’s civil disobedience movement.
Rana Sanaullah highlighted that when the government offered talks, PTI responded by questioning the government’s authority, asserting that political party engagement did not equate to negotiations. He stressed that real solutions could only be found through direct dialogue at the negotiating table.
Talking to a news channel, Sanaullah clarified that while communication between political parties never stops, such exchanges could not be considered formal negotiations.
He revealed that even during PTI’s visit to Islamabad, the government maintained communication, but this was not labelled as negotiations.
