PM Shehbaz Offers Fresh PTI Talks if Long March, Sit-Ins End
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday renewed his offer of political dialogue with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, saying the government was prepared to return to the negotiating table if the opposition party ended its long march and sit-ins.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kashmir Chowk Underpass in Islamabad, the prime minister urged PTI to abandon its protest campaign and resolve political differences through negotiations.
“End your long march. If you end it, then we will certainly sit with you and talk,” Shehbaz said, calling for political cooperation to allow the country to move forward.
The prime minister said the government had decided to engage the opposition after consultations and that representatives of both sides subsequently held two days of negotiations in National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq’s chamber.
He said there had been considerable discussion during those meetings and that he had initially expected the negotiations to produce a successful outcome.
However, Shehbaz alleged that changes demanded by the opposition at the final stage prevented the talks from reaching a conclusion.
PTI has disputed the government’s account of why the negotiations collapsed.
The opposition maintains that access to imprisoned party founder Imran Khan and disagreements over counterterrorism policy were among the central unresolved issues.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has said the party remains willing to negotiate if its representatives are allowed to consult Imran Khan.
Shehbaz also warned that prolonged marches and sit-ins could damage economic activity by disrupting workers, businesses, factories and commercial operations.
He said the government had spent around a year and a half working to restore macroeconomic stability and argued that Pakistan had now reached a stage where economic growth and development should become the priority.
The prime minister highlighted recent improvements in exports, IT exports, remittances and domestic production as indicators of economic progress.
He warned that the government would not allow protests to threaten public safety or economic activity, saying the law would take its course and that protecting citizens and their property remained the state’s responsibility.
The renewed offer comes as PTI’s protest march continues through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
The march reached Kohat on Monday and was scheduled to proceed towards Peshawar on Tuesday before PTI convoys converge on Swabi by October 8.
The government and PTI continue to blame each other for the collapse of their latest negotiations.
Despite the political confrontation, statements from both sides indicate that the possibility of renewed dialogue has not been completely ruled out.
Whether talks resume now depends largely on the protest campaign, PTI’s demand for access to Imran Khan and whether both sides can bridge their differences over security and political issues.
