ISLAMABAD: Senator Rana Sanaullah, the Prime Minister’s Advisor on Political Affairs, has warned that if the PTI founder persists in his aggressive behaviour towards the state, it will not only ruin his party but also bring about negative consequences for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government.
Sanaullah asserted that the proposal for dialogue by the Prime Minister was the result of discussions with the establishment and the government’s allies. Moreover, he stated that the government holds to the idea of serious political negotiations but judged by Imran Khan’s past conduct, he has never been inclined to engage in such discussions.
Meanwhile, talking to the media outside Parliament, Minister of Defense Khawaja Asif raised the issue of the negotiation process with doubts saying that the dialogue-related statements seem to be restricted to newspapers and that there has been no serious movement in that regard on the ground.
Khawaja Asif explained that the government does not impose any restrictions on Mahmood Khan Achakzai or any other figure the opposition might put forward for talks. He went on to say that any person from the opposition proposed for dialogue would be accepted by the government.
He also stated that while there appears to be a clash between the opposition and the government during National Assembly debates, this is not the case in the so-called closed meetings or private sessions.
Khawaja Asif ended by emphasizing that political matters can only be settled through dialogue and all political parties should be responsible considering the problems the country is facing.
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Except Imran Khan, majority of PTI leaders want talks with govt: Rana Sanaullah
On January 1, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said that, except for PTI founder Imran Khan, the majority of PTI leaders want talks with the government.
Talking to a private media channel on Thursday, PML-N leader and former Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the founder of PTI, Imran Khan, does not want talks with the government at all, PTI cannot hold talks without Imran Khan’s stance, and the majority of PTI leaders are interested in talks.
Rana Sanaullah said that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif invited PTI for talks 2 to 3 times. Imran Khan still has the same stance that a state movement should be launched. He wants the wheels to be jammed on February 8. Mahmood Khan Achakzai has not been given any authority; nothing will be achieved by blackmailing and pressurizing.
The Prime Minister’s advisor said that PTI is running a campaign against defence institutions through social media. In such a situation, no talks could be held, and if talks were started, the establishment would be on board in talks with PTI. The PML-N leader further said that it is difficult to sit at the table with people who abuse words, PTI’s February 8 rally will fail, and talks can be held if they stop the abuse.
The Prime Minister’s advisor said that the social media accounts through which campaigns are being run against institutions should be closed. The PTI leadership cannot escape by saying that they have no control or connection with these accounts. The former interior minister further said that the PTI leadership should express its disinterest in these accounts and close them. If these accounts are only used for propaganda, then they should be used against opposing political parties and politicians.
The PML-N leader said that they will not be able to implement the call they gave for the protest on February 8, withdraw the call for the traffic jam, otherwise they will be taken to task like on May 9. He said that PTI is not traveling towards the right but towards anarchy in the country. If this is what is to be done, how can there be a meeting with the founder of PTI? If he thinks that any pressure will come from venturing against the institution, then this is his misunderstanding.
Rana Sanaullah further said that if the PML-N gains a majority in the future, the next leadership will undoubtedly be Maryam Nawaz Sharif; similarly, the future leadership of the PPP is Bilawal Bhutto.
