Islamabad: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Senator Rana Sanaullah said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered negotiations to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf after taking his leader, Nawaz Sharif, and the establishment into confidence, but the government is well aware that Imran Khan is not willing to engage in dialogue.
Speaking during a television talk show, Rana Sanaullah said that the Islamabad High Court bench had defined a clear procedure for meetings with the PTI founder, which stated that no political activities would take place after such meetings. He added that experience shows that meetings are often followed by commotion, press conferences, and even confrontations.
He further said that Salman Akram Raja had assured the court of compliance with the prescribed procedure. According to Rana Sanaullah, if the law and court orders are followed, there should be no obstacle to meetings, and if jail authorities are not complying with court directives, the matter should be taken back to the court.
Responding to a question, Rana Sanaullah said there should be no doubts about the government’s intentions regarding the appointment of the opposition leader, as the government believes in transparency and constitutional processes.
He said that when the prime minister extended an offer for talks, it was claimed that he lacked authority, although Shehbaz Sharif made the offer after consulting the establishment and his leader, Nawaz Sharif, who should be accepted by the opposition.
Rana Sanaullah said the opposition now claims that whenever it announces a protest movement, the government starts talking about negotiations. He added that the opposition believes its movement is about to succeed and suspects the government of trying to trap it.
The senior PML-N leader said that if the opposition wants to attempt a wheel-jam strike on February 5, it may do so, and discussions can take place afterward. He added that the opposition first demands meetings and then talks about persuading the PTI founder, but the government understands that Imran Khan himself does not want negotiations. He said that when the PTI founder is in power, he does not engage with the opposition, and that a policy of confrontation with the state will ultimately harm him.
