Nawaz ‘still open to talks’ with Imran

PML-N leader and former interior minister Rana Sanaullah has revealed that former premier Nawaz Sharif was willing to negotiate with PTI founding chairman Imran Khan in the past for the sake of the country and still open to engage in a dialogue with him.

In an interview, Sanaullah said the PML-N supremo spoke with Imran even when he had staged a 126-day sit-in in 2014 and there was a terrorist attack on the Army Public School, Peshawar in December that year.

“The PML-N supremo had called Imran to come and sit with him for the interest of the country, although he [Imran] was abusing him [Nawaz] the previous night,” he added.

However, he continued that Nawaz had shown by his actions that he wanted to talk to Imran for the country’s sake and was still willing to do so.

The former interior minister further maintained that former army chief Gen (retd) Qamar Bajwa was correct when he had refuted any role in sending Nawaz abroad.

“The PML-N supremo and his wife were sent to London by Imran Khan and his cabinet. Imran Khan even sent his doctors there to confirm if Mian sahib was actually sick or not. They also examined his medical reports.”

Sanaullah further claimed that the public acceptance of Imran stood at zero but he only received votes for putting on a show of “resistance and victimisation”.

He added that Imran’s party activists had shown more resistance than him.

The former minister said Nawaz had spent 32 years engaged in the politics of resistance.

“Never have I ever seen Main sahib take a step back from his narrative,” he added.

Sanaullah claimed that Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr Tahirul Qadri had himself orchestrated the infamous Model Town Lahore incident in 2014 in which many of activists were killed.

He further said the PML-N supremo fully supported the current government led by his younger brother, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He clarified that if Nawaz wanted to retake the presidency of the PML-N, he could so.

The ex-interior minister said Indian intelligence agency RAW was involved in terrorism in Pakistan and he had seen the relevant reports of this himself.