Ruling coalition undecided on holding talks with opposition

ISLAMABAD: The meeting of ruling coalition on Tuesday remained unable to decide on holding talks with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led opposition amid deepening political and judicial crisis, ARY News reported on Tuesday, citing sources.

Sources told ARY News that the coalition parties failed to agree on holding talks with PTI Chairman Imran Khan despite the insistence of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto.

During the meeting, majority of political forces – including Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Balochistan National Party (BNP), Khalid Magsi, Mohsin Dawar and others – voiced their support to Bilawal Bhutto’ stance.

However, sources claimed, Jamat-e-Ulema Islam (JUI-F) opposed the PPP’s stance of holding negotiations. “Imran Khan is not a political force,” sources said while quoting JUI-F, while JWP’s Shahzain Bugti said that his party did not oppose talks but “Imran is a liar”.

Speaking on the occasion, Bilawal Bhutto said that not holding negotiations was ‘undemocratic and unpolitical behavior’, adding that his party never closes door of dialogue.

“It is the need of the hour that the path of dialogue be adopted and the country taken out of the crisis,” Bilawal said.

Meanwhile, the majority of participants rejected conditional talks with Imran Khan, saying that negotiations can be held on elections but not on cases registered against the former premier.

Sources claimed that the meeting ended without reaching a consensus on the matter of holding dialogue.

PPP starts grand dialogue

Recently, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had formed a committee to engage with allies in the coalition government to reach a consensus on dialogue with all political parties.

The three-member committee includes former premier Yousaf Raza Gillani, Federal Minister Syed Naveed Qamar and SAPM Qamar Zaman Kaira.

The development came after former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari urged Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif to hold talks with opposition party – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), saying that the nation cannot afford any odd situation.

“I will request PM Shehbaz Sharif to hold talks with the opposition and set no conditions before they begin talks,” Asif Zardari had said while addressing the Convention on the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the 1973 Constitution on Monday.

PML-N rejects negotiations with Imran Khan

A day earlier, PML-N leader Javed Latif categorically rejected the initiation of negotiations with PTI Chairman Imran Khan, stating that the majority of PML-N members were against engaging in talks with the “miscreant in Zaman Park”.

He added considerable members from his party were in favour of negotiating with PTI’s second-tier leadership, especially led by the former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and former chief minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervaiz Khattak.