Govt extends dialogue offer to PTI

Says 'talks still possible' as PTI demands oversight of Imran's prison conditions

ISLAMABAD:

As the opposition party continues to rail against "persecution" and finds itself virtually locked out from its incarcerated leader, the government on Friday once again reached out to the beleaguered Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), renewing its invitation for dialogue on the floor of parliament as Prime Minister's Adviser Rana Sanaullah said the ruling party still kept the door for talks open.

Sanaullah urged the opposition to "come, sit and talk", even as he noted that the individuals the incarcerated PTI founding chairman Imran Khan wished to meet "are not willing to talk to him".

The latest offer came during a Senate sitting, where PTI Senator Mishal Yousafzai protested that the former premier was not being allowed to meet. She went on to propose that a parliamentary committee, headed by Rana Sanaullah, be constituted and accompanied by national and international media to verify Imran's health condition and the facilities being provided to him.

Sanaullah said that democracy progresses through dialogue, "not through deadlock", recalling that the prime minister had twice invited the opposition for talks from the floor and had even offered to meet them in the NA speaker's chamber "if that makes it easier".

He further said that it was "on record" that PTI was unwilling to talk to the government, while those PTI wished to engage "are not ready".

However, he added that certain procedural matters must be settled before any meeting with a prisoner, and that the conversation PTI representatives had after their previous meeting with Imran "is also before everyone".

Sanaullah further asserted that the state could not allow any prisoner "to use meetings to run a movement against the state".

It may be noted here that the government, for its part, has extended an olive branch to the opposition on many occasions. However, the incarcerated former prime minister has repeatedly decried an uneven playing field and "political persecution", lamenting that the climate for talks remains far too muddy to wade into amid legal cases and incarcerations.

The government last initiated its engagement with the PTI last December after a prolonged spell of political friction. The talk has stalled despite a flurry of early movement.

The two sides met three times, on December 27, 2024, January 2 and January 16. However, the process faltered when the PTI abruptly stepped away.