A stalemate between the government and the opposition persists despite both sides last month expressing willingness to engage in dialogue to steer the country toward political stability.
Speaking with media near Adiala Jail on Tuesday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Gohar Ali Khan rejected a proposal forwarded by a federal minister for resolving the situation through a meeting between the country’s “top five figures”—Imran Khan, President Asif Ali Zardari, Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir.
In his statement, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah had said that no political breakthrough is possible without confidence-building measures at the highest level. Rebutting this, however, the PTI chairman said that if the negotiations had reached the stage of requiring the involvement of the country’s senior-most figures, “it should be taken as a clear ‘no’.”
He claimed that there is no possibility of the five individuals meeting, nor is there any need for it.
During his press interaction, Gohar reiterated that the PTI had never backed off from talks but questioned how such a huddle could take place when no one is permitted to meet the PTI founder.
Separately, PTI Senator Ali Zafar said the environment did not appear “conducive to negotiations.” He urged the government to create a “suitable” atmosphere by ending cases against PTI leaders.
Meanwhile, Sanaullah has warned that the PTI and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government risk consequences if Imran Khan continues his policy of confrontation with the state. “If we look at the past behavior of the PTI founder, he has never been ready for talks,” he said.
National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has similarly said he has yet to receive any formal proposal for talks from the opposition.