Islamabad: Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said that the government remains ready for negotiations, but Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf continues to reject dialogue and instead resorts to abusive rhetoric.
He stated that the prime minister had formally offered talks to PTI on three to four occasions. Yet, each time the party refused to engage in negotiations and showed no willingness to resolve political issues through dialogue.
Khawaja Asif said that power is the most temporary thing in politics and no government remains permanent, despite which the current government has repeatedly shown readiness for talks, while PTI has responded with insults rather than constructive engagement.
He added that in a democratic system, disputes can only be resolved through dialogue, but when one side consistently adopts confrontation and harsh language, creating an environment for negotiations becomes extremely difficult.
Referring to institutional accountability, the defence minister said that the institution had held a former DG ISI accountable, and the credit for initiating accountability within the institution goes to the current military leadership, calling it a significant and positive development.
