Rana Sanaullah says Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will meet the opposition leader at the PM’s House as political differences continue.
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: The federal government has rejected National Assembly Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai’s demand for an alternative venue for talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, insisting that the proposed meeting take place at the Prime Minister’s House.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said on Saturday that the government would not arrange a third location for the meeting.
“The Prime Minister House is not anyone’s personal property; it belongs to the state,” Sanaullah said, according to Geo News. He maintained that the premier was ready to welcome Achakzai at the official residence.
The disagreement has complicated efforts to resume political dialogue between the government and opposition leaders amid wider tensions over parliamentary decisions and the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Government insists on PM’s House meeting
Sanaullah said the prime minister would meet Achakzai at the PM’s House and described the opposition leader’s insistence on another venue as unacceptable.
He also said Shehbaz Sharif had written two letters to Achakzai concerning the appointment of the chief election commissioner and members of the Election Commission of Pakistan.
According to the adviser, the government was awaiting a response and wanted Achakzai to indicate when he would attend the proposed meeting.
The government has presented the invitation as an opportunity to discuss outstanding political and constitutional matters.
Achakzai has previously rejected official venues
Achakzai, who heads the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahaffuz Aiyeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP), previously said he was willing to meet the prime minister at an alternative location but would not visit the Prime Minister’s House or the National Assembly speaker’s office.
In remarks reported earlier this month, Achakzai said he was prepared to meet elsewhere in the country, including at a political leader’s residence.
He also said he wanted to meet jailed former prime minister Imran Khan before proceeding with talks involving the government.
The competing positions have left the proposed meeting without an agreed venue or confirmed date in the reports reviewed for this article.
Dispute follows breakdown in negotiations
The latest disagreement comes after TTAP announced that it was ending negotiations with the federal government over what it described as unconstitutional measures.
The announcement followed parliamentary action concerning emergency measures and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which opposition parties strongly opposed.
The government, meanwhile, has defended its approach by citing security concerns and the need to address terrorism in the province.
Sanaullah said unconditional negotiations with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) remained possible but ruled out talks on the condition that the government first withdraw the emergency measures.
He said dialogue could proceed if PTI cooperated with the government’s counterterrorism efforts.
Government calls for talks on terrorism
Separately, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said the government had not stopped PTI from organising a long march and urged the party to discuss terrorism with the authorities.
Chaudhry also made allegations concerning PTI’s position on the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Those claims should be treated as the minister’s assertions rather than independently established findings.
The political dispute now involves several unresolved issues, including the proposed meeting between Shehbaz Sharif and Achakzai, opposition demands concerning Imran Khan, appointments to the Election Commission and disagreements over the measures taken in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Whether dialogue resumes will depend on the positions taken by both sides and whether they can agree on the conditions for a meeting.
