Fawad says PTI still open for talks

Ex-minister opines Maryam’s comments reflect rift within PML-N

ISLAMABAD:

 At a time when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PTI Chairman Imran Khan expressed their willingness to engage in meaningful talks, Information Minister Marriyum Nawaz as well as PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz were busy calling the former premier a ‘terrorist’ and promoting the same on social media -- potentially casting a blow to the rare opening of talks possibility.

Just a day after Imran and his successor reciprocated talks offer and struck a reconciliatory tone for the sake of the country, its interests and democracy, both the Maryams in the PML-N lashed out at Imran Khan by calling him a ‘terrorist’ and promoting the trend of ‘Terrorist-Imran-Khan’ on Twitter.

Terming the PTI’s chief’s statement that he was “ready to talk to anyone” for the sake of the country, its interests and democracy, PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz said that the government should deal with them in the same way it deals with terrorists.

“The way the government, the state deals with a banned organization, a terrorist organization, Imran Khan should be dealt with in the same way. Thinking of it [PTI] as a political party and dealing with it as a political party needs to end,” Maryam said in a press conference on Friday amid calls for talks.

She also said Imran challenged the writ of the state and fueled “rebellion”.

Hours after Maryam Nawaz’s press conference, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb while tweeting a poster of Imran Khan carrying the date for his court appearance before capital’s district court promoted the hashtag.

Little did she might have imagined that Imran would not go to the district courts as the district court was shifted to judicial complex for one day late on Friday night by the Islamabad administration keeping in view the security threats to the PTI chief.

When asked, the government’s spokesperson, who has frequently been calling Imran a ‘terrorist’, if the government was thinking to book Imran under sedition charges or mulling banning PTI, Aurangzeb replied, “there is no such thing”.

She was also asked why Maryam demanded that Imran should be treated as a terrorist a day after PM Shehbaz extended an olive branch to him but no response was received till the filing of the story.

Contrary to the PML-N’s stance, the PTI leadership still showed its availability for talks, saying the good cop and bad cop approach indicates internal issues within the PML-N. “Yes it seems there are issues within the PML-N,” PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry told The Express Tribune when asked to comment on Maryam Nawaz’s statement and if she was trying to disrupt talks between the government and PTI even before they have begun.

“Anyways this is their own problem; we are up for talks on the national agenda of elections; it’s up to the government now,” PTI’s former informer minister said. Fawad’s statement has come on the heels of PTI leadership’s statement wherein it urged the coalition government to give a date and venue for a meeting where all the political parties would sit together and devise a strategy to tackle the ongoing political and economic challenges.

In a tweet, Fawad said that the government is making statements every day to sit together and solve issues and the PM has also offered talks then it was time to take action beyond statements and set date and venue for political parties’ meetings as Imran Khan has already favoured dialogues.

Another PTI leader and former human rights minister, Dr Shireen Mazari, while reacting to the news conference and ‘terrorist’ comments said that Maryam Nawaz doesn’t even understand what qualifies as a terrorist organisation, saying if terrorism was done by any party, “it was your daddy’s party which had attacked the Supreme Court”.

“If any political terrorist party should be banned, it is your party,” Dr Mazari responded to the chatter of banning PTI and booking its leadership under terrorism and sedition charges. Mazari also questioned Maryam’s position by saying that neither she was a part of the institutions nor the government, adding she shouldn’t waste the nation’s time by addressing press conferences for hours.

Apparently, the political commentators said, the PML-N wants Imran to be disqualified and removed from the political scene. Still, it's every move was turning out to be a political nightmare for the PML-N and the ruling alliance.

While welcoming offers of talks, they question what the PML-N would get from talks at a time when the PTI’s popularity is increasing despite the government’s attempt to counter the same, saying, perhaps, that’s why the PML-N leaders were simultaneously offering talks and lashing out at Imran and PTI leadership.