PM Shehbaz Sharif offers fresh dialogue to opposition for political, economic stability

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the government is ready for meaningful dialogue with the opposition and has once again invited them to return to the negotiating table.

Addressing a meeting of the federal cabinet, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had already stated in meetings of the National Assembly and the cabinet that the government was willing to engage in dialogue.

He urged the opposition to resolve political matters through negotiations so that the country’s economic development and democratic system could be further strengthened.

“The ball is now in the opposition’s court,” the prime minister said, adding that it was up to the opposition to decide when it wanted to return to the negotiating table. He said the government had always preferred dialogue as a means of resolving differences.

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Speaking about petroleum products, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the efforts of the Ministry of Petroleum, saying the government had allocated Rs128 billion to provide relief to the public under difficult circumstances. The federal government arranged the funds by making cuts to the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

He welcomed the Rs32-per-litre reduction in the price of diesel, saying the government was making every effort to provide maximum relief to the common people.

The prime minister further noted that Pakistan is an energy-importing country and that developments in the international situation were also affecting the country. He added that refineries and gas plants in several countries across the region had been shut down.