NA speaker opens doors for govt-PTI dialogue

Sadiq says his office, residence available round the clock for mediation

ISLAMABAD:

A new window for talks seemed to have opened on Wednesday as both National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and PTI signalled their readiness to come to the table for political stability and progress.

The NA speaker extended an olive branch, offering to mediate between the government and opposition, particularly with PTI, and assured that his office and residence were "open 24/7" for dialogue.

Meanwhile, the PTI's parliamentary party threw its full support behind talks, agreeing that dialogue was the only way forward to tackle the country's pressing issues.

The NA speaker stressed that discussions could cover a range of national issues, from governance reforms and law and order to climate change and provincial autonomy.

"Whether we talk about improvements for the country, the law-and-order situation, climate issues or provincial autonomy, and numerous other matters on which we need to sit and have conversations," he added.

Ayaz Sadiq stressed that, as long as he serves as speaker, there would be no shortage of platforms for communication, stating, "We have the speaker's office for all these issues. Until I am a speaker, I will not let there be any deficit."

His house, he reiterated, belongs to both the government and the opposition.

The NA speaker also clarified his absence from the House on Tuesday, attributing it to the visit of a Saudi delegation to Pakistan.

His offer came a day after senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah highlighted the neutrality of the Speaker's office as a venue for political discussions in the lower house of parliament.

Addressing PTI's MNA Sher Afzal Marwat, who had called for a formal dialogue between the government and opposition, Sadiq said in a video message, "I want to say that the speaker's office and the speaker's house is open 24 hours if the opposition and government want to come and have a dialogue together to end the bitterness."

On the other hand, PTI also expressed its willingness to engage in dialogue, saying that discussions are the only way to resolve the country's issues and bring about political stability and progress.

A statement was issued following a parliamentary party meeting, which highlighted that PTI founder Imran Khan had formed a negotiation committee with a positive mindset and expressed the desire for the country to move forward and prosper.

During the meeting, the party also strongly condemned the raids on the homes and residences of PTI's MNAs and Punjab MPAs.

The statement called for an end to the pressure being applied on PTI MNAs and MPAs, and warned of a strong protest in parliament if the raids continued.

The statement further asserted that the challenges the country is facing can only be addressed through negotiations, stressing that without political stability, the country cannot progress.

The parliamentary party also demanded the immediate release of all political prisoners, including PTI's founder, and called for the establishment of a judicial commission to investigate the incidents of May 9 and November 26.

Paying tribute to those killed during the party's protests of November 26, the statement declared that a transparent investigation into the events of May 9 and November 26 was crucial.