Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that his government is not ready to talk to Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the wake of the party’s nationwide violence on May 9.
The Prime Minister acknowledged in a tweet that dialogue is deeply embedded in the political process, helping democracy mature and evolve.
“Many political and constitutional developments took place when political leaders sat at the table for consensus,” the prime minister said.
But he said there is a big difference when it comes to the party led by Khan.
Dialogue is deeply embedded in the political process, which helps democracy mature & evolve. Many political & constitutional breakthroughs occured when political leaders sat across the table to craft a consensus.
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) May 30, 2023
However, there is a major difference here, the anarchists &…
“Anarchists and arsonists who dress up as politicians and attack symbols of the state are not worthy of dialogue. Rather, they should be held accountable for their militant actions.”
The ousted prime minister – who was ousted by a no-confidence vote in April last year – said he was “willing to talk to anybody” after his party’s top leaders jumped ship after the May 9 riots. Ready for”.
Khan had said he was forming a committee that would discuss two things with “whoever is in power”.
“If it helps the country according to ‘them’, I will quit politics. Second, if elections are held in October, how beneficial is it to the country,” Khan had said of the committee’s aim. .
Last week, PTI announced the formation of a seven-member team to negotiate with the current government on the instructions of its chairman.
The negotiating team includes PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, former Defense Minister Pervez Khattak, former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Shaikh and former ministers Murad Saeed, Hamad Azhar and Aun Abbasi.
After Khan’s party was arrested on May 9 – a day dubbed “Black Day” by the military – his party activists torched and vandalized military installations, including the general headquarters in Rawalpindi. After the outbreak, the state is feeling the heat of power.
Several party leaders and thousands of activists have been arrested in connection with the violent protests, and the military has insisted that those involved in attacks on military installations be prosecuted under the Pakistan Army Act and the Official Secrets Act.
In a statement similar to the Prime Minister’s statement, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Maryam Aurangzeb also rejected the PTI chief’s offer of talks.
Reacting to his offer, the Information Minister said: “There can be no dialogue with those who set the country on fire, create chaos and anarchy, fill the minds of the people with hatred, and armed harboring gangs.”
He said that Khan was not appealing for talks, he actually wanted NRO.
The information minister said that talks cannot be held with those who have “poisoned the minds of the youth”, “leaders of criminals and terrorists”.
