Stalled negotiations: Shah offers PPP role for breaking logjam

Reiterates his call for govt and PTI to start dialogue

ISLAMABAD:

Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah on Tuesday said that the government and PTI should immediately resume the stalled talks to find a negotiated settlement of their differences.

He said that the PPP is ready to play its role for resuming the talks and breaking the logjam in the larger national interest. Shah said that the PPP has never supported the government, rather it supports the state.

He also said that the PTI would be allowed to protest anywhere in Karachi, saying that Khan should also use his democratic right in a peaceful manner.



Speaking to reporters here, the opposition leader said that PTI must keep its protests peaceful and the government should not create unnecessary hurdles either. “PTI has the right to stage protests anywhere in Karachi or elsewhere, but all should be within the parameter of law and national interest,” he said.

Shah blamed the ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for what he said was a show of incompetency in Faisalabad, which had further complicated the situation.

“I had talked to Ishaq Dar and made it clear to him that talks should be held at the earliest and the government should initiate them,” he claimed. He said that both the government and Imran Khan were not realizing the gravity of the situation and were following a policy of confrontation, “which is not only dangerous for democracy, but also against the national interest,” said the Opposition Leader.

He said that the electoral system would improve sooner or later and all the parties should contribute in this regard.

Commenting on the Faisalabad incident, he said that it is regrettable, and should not have happened, especially in the backdrop of a heated political scenario.

Shah said that the government should not have lost its patience in Faisalabad, adding confrontation promotes civil war. “The ruling party should have closed its offices in Faisalabad during the PTI rally and should have showed a good spirit as it did in Gujranwalla,” he said.

He advised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to open his eyes and look at his party, in order to know who is doing what. “I think Mian Sahib’s actions themselves make Imran Khan a leader without any reason,” he noted.

Shah suggested that the government must consult those political parties which want to save the system. The PPP leader said that his party is a mature political party, but the PML-N lacks this element and often lands itself in trouble.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 10^th, 2014.