PM says dialogue possible on legitimate issues as PTI founder’s sister rules out talks
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chairing a federal cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad. PHOTO: PID
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said the government was open to dialogue with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf but would not accept what he called “illegal demands or blackmail.”
He made the remarks while speaking at 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 negotiations, the government is equally prepared,” the prime minister said.
However, Shehbaz said talks could only move forward if they focused on “legitimate issues.”
He stressed that political harmony among 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 from the party’s side.
Speaking to reporters outside the Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court a day earlier, she said any party leader advocating talks was neither aligned with Imran Khan nor with PTI.
Read: Govt, allies push back at Opposition alliance charter
She also said she was unaware of the communiqué 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 declaration after two days of meetings in Islamabad.
The declaration included demands for a probe into the February 24 general elections and called for dialogue with the government.
Reacting to the opposition’s demands, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz said 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.
PPP Secretary Nayyer Bukhari told The Express Tribune that dialogue would only be meaningful if confidence-building measures were taken.
“They want dialogue with some other quarters,” he said.
