Rana Sanaullah congratulates Mahmood Khan Achakzai, renews call for dialogue with opposition

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah Khan Friday renewed call for dialogue with the opposition while congratulating newly appointed Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai.

He reiterated an offer of dialogue to the opposition, stating that the Prime Minister’s invitation for negotiations remains open.

“Previous offer from the government had not received a positive response from the opposition,” Rana Sanaullah said during his informal talk with reporters inside the Parliament House.

Rana Sanaullah said if talks are to move forward, the Speaker’s Office would be the most appropriate forum. He described the appointment of the opposition leader as a confidence-building measure that should be viewed positively.

Responding to a journalist’s question on whether Nawaz Sharif played any role in Achakzai’s appointment, Rana Sanaullah said he was not aware of any such involvement, adding that the NA speaker would be better placed to clarify the matter.

When asked whether Achakzai had requested him to facilitate a meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan, Rana Sanaullah said the issue of meeting the PTI founder was a separate matter and had, in the past, been misused.

He said the issue could be discussed further in the coming days and might also come up when Mahmood Khan Achakzai meets the prime minister.

The senior politician added that he had previously advised Achakzai to meet the Prime Minister and raise the matter during that meeting, but the suggestion was not accepted at the time.