Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has given a conditional offer of talks to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), asking the party to end its long march and sit-ins first and come to negotiation table.
“I still ask them to come to their senses. End your long marches and sit-ins. Once you end them, we will certainly sit down with you and talk so that Pakistan moves forward with mutual hard work, honesty, and integrity. This is the desire of the nation, the voice of every Pakistani.”
The PM said the government had made sincere efforts for dialogue. A joint negotiation committee of PML-N and PPP held two days of intensive talks with PTI in the chamber of National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.
The PM claimed that talks were about to succeed but PTI demanded last-minute changes to the finalized draft.
”Their sole objective was to sabotage the dialogue,” PM said. PM warned that the politics of long marches and dharnas will directly target the country’s fragile economy which the government has revived with great difficulty
”If your labourer or your engineer fails to reach the factory, the manufacturing site, or their office on time, whose loss is it? It is the loss of this country,” he said. He added that exports, imports, and manufacturing will be disrupted.
He also warned: “Protecting the lives and property of the people is the state’s basic responsibility, which will be fulfilled under all circumstances. The law will take its course.”
The offer came as PTI’s long march led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was marching from southern districts towards Islamabad. The march started on October 4 from Lakki Marwat / Karak side after negotiations collapsed, demanding release of Imran Khan and other political demands.
The government has said it will not allow the march to enter Islamabad and has made strict security arrangements.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has convened an important meeting today regarding the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with a possible decision on imposing an emergency in the province.
According to sources, the Prime Minister has called the high-level security meeting today at the Prime Minister House, which will be chaired by the Prime Minister himself.
Sources said that important federal ministers including senior officials of the Ministry of Interior will participate in the meeting. Officials of the Ministry of Interior will give a detailed briefing on the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to sources, there is a possibility of a decision regarding imposing emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the meeting.
Sources say that in case of imposing emergency, approval will be taken from the federal cabinet, and the Prime Minister will summon a meeting of the federal cabinet.
Earlier, sources said that there was a proposal to impose emergency in 12 districts including the merged districts of former FATA, and there is also a proposal for the federation to exercise important powers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to sources, after deliberation on Article 232 to 234, approval of important decisions is expected.
