Azadi March: Govt dialogue team contacts opposition's Rehbar Committee

ISLAMABAD: The team tasked for holding dialogues with the opposition leadership has contacted Rehbar Committee through a telephone call, ARY News reported on Saturday.

One of the members of the government’s dialogue team, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani made a telephonic conversation with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Nayyar Hussain Bukhari here today.

Sanjrani said that the dialogues team is willing to meet the opposition’s Rehbar Committee. However, it is unclear so far whether the opposition parties have accepted the offer to the continuation of talks or not.

Read: Key decisions to be taken on Azadi March in meeting with PM: Qadri

It is pertinent to mention here that the government’s team headed by defence minister Pervez Khattak comprises of members including Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser, Shafqat Mahmood, Noorul Haq Qadri, Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elhai and NA legislator Asad Umar.

The latest contact was made after the Islamabad’s administration beefed up security in the federal capital’s Blue Area amid fear of the Azadi marchers’ possible movement towards D-Chowk.

Read: Azadi March’s likely movement towards D-Chowk, security ramped up in Blue Area

On Friday, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri, who is also a member of the government’s dialogue committee, said that important decisions will be taken on the JUI-F’s Azadi March in a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan likely to be held on Saturday (today).

Strong contingents of the law enforcement agencies, including the police and FC personnel, have been deployed in Blue Area. The local administration says it is ready to deal with any situation, adding the Elite Force and Rangers personnel have also been called in to guard the capital’s commercial area.

Read: Marchers not to enter Islamabad’s Red Zone; govt, Rehbar Committee reach agreement

The Ministry of Interior, meanwhile, said armored personnel carriers have been stationed in front of the Parliament House with the deployment of more security personnel in the sensitive areas.

Earlier, the government and the opposition’s Rehbar Committee had agreed over a venue of the march in Islamabad.