Fawad calls on president, PM to lead talks

Premier has given go-ahead to NA Speaker to proceed with negotiations between government, PTI

LAHORE:

Former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry has reiterated the need for dialogue, emphasising that negotiations are essential for the country's stability.

He called on President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take ownership of the negotiation process.

Speaking to the media after attending court proceedings, Chaudhry said the entire PTI leadership, including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, supported talks.

Criticising the government, he claimed it relied on "daily spectacles" to remain relevant and questioned how the country could function while people faced sentences totalling "thousands of years."

He also expressed disappointment at what he described as the opposition's lack of seriousness and urged party leaders to show courage if they had accepted responsibility.

The premier has given the go-ahead to National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to proceed with negotiations between the government and PTI, sources said on Wednesday, a significant development in efforts to cool political temperatures.

Parliamentary sources said that the government side has agreed to take part in the talks at the speaker's request. However, discussions will only be held with PTI's elected representatives, while no engagement is planned with unelected party figures.

Despite the government's readiness, the sources said, no PTI leader has yet formally approached the office of the Speaker to begin the negotiation process, and initial outreach remains pending from the opposition's side.