ISLAMABAD: The federal government has rejected National Assembly Opposition Leader Mahmood Achakzai’s demand for a neutral venue to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, insisting that talks must take place at the PM Office.
“Prime Minister House is not anyone’s personal property; it belongs to the state,” Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said on Saturday, while clarifying the government’s position on the proposed meeting.
PM Shehbaz renewed his invitation to the opposition to resume negotiations during the joint sitting last week, meeting Achakzai and warmly shaking hands with him.
The premier also expressed concern over the year-long delay in appointment of the chief election commissioner (CEC) and the members of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The joint session was convened on October 15, wherein the treasury benches lawmakers approved the imposition of an emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with majority vote.
Opposition alliance Tehreek Tahaffuz Aiyeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) later announced ending negotiations with the Centre over “unconstitutional measures”.
Meanwhile, Sanaullah said that PM Shehbaz would meet the NA opposition leader at the PM Office and that no alternative venue could be arranged for the meeting.
“The prime minister has to meet the opposition leader at the PM Office,” he said, adding that the opposition leader’s insistence on a different location was “unacceptable”.
He said similar demands had been made in the past, describing such insistence as inappropriate.
The adviser also said that the premier had written two letters to the opposition leader regarding the appointment of the CEC and ECP members.
He said the government was awaiting a response from Achakzai and asked him to indicate when he would visit the PM Office. “We are ready to welcome the opposition leader for the meeting.”
On negotiations with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the prime minister’s adviser said that unconditional negotiations with the Imran Khan-founded party were possible.
However, he ruled out talks if the party made the withdrawal of the emergency its condition for negotiations.
Sanaullah said PTI had not previously given negotiations an opportunity, adding that the arrangement established under the emergency would be given an appropriate amount of time.
He said the government would continue the counterterrorism campaign with full commitment, adding that discussions with PTI could be possible if the party cooperated in the fight against terrorism.
Govt did not stop PTI from long march: Talal
Separately, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said that the federal government had not stopped PTI from holding a long march, asking the opposition party to hold talks on terrorism.
“You can hold a long march or a short march; we have no problem with that, but discuss terrorism,” Chaudhry said while addressing the media in Jaranwala earlier today.
The minister said that the government had made every possible effort to ensure the success of negotiations with the PTI, adding that terrorism should be condemned in all its forms.
“A terrorist is a terrorist, and every form of terrorism should be condemned,” he said.
According to the minister, several politicians, as well as members of various religious parties, had been targeted in terrorist attacks. He claimed that no PTI leader or gathering had ever been subjected to such an attack.
The minister also referred to the jailed PTI founder’s reported remarks about opening an office for the banned TTP in Pakistan, claiming that the banned outfit had issued a press release opposing governor’s rule and expressing support for PTI.
Chaudhry said the purpose of imposing governor’s rule was to eliminate terrorism from the province, vowing that state institutions would deal with those supporting terrorist groups.
