Govt denies formal dialogues with PTI amid political tensions

Dismissing reports of a breakthrough with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) aimed at easing political tensions following the party's civil disobedience threat, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has said that the federal government has not initiated any formal discussions with the former ruling party.

“No meeting took place between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq at the latter's residence," the minister said, speaking on Geo News programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath on Wednesday.

The minister's clarification comes following the "icebreaker" meeting between the NA speaker and top PTI leaders including Asad Qaiser, Omar Ayub and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza at the Speaker House in Islamabad earlier today.

Following the key meeting, embattled PTI and the government expressed willingness to sit together on the negotiation table without any preconditions ahead of the former’s civil disobedience movement, the insiders said.

The meeting was held following a telephonic contact between Qaiser and Sadiq, the sources added.

In his television interview today, Tarar noted that Asad Qaiser was not present at the NA Speaker’s residence when PM Shehbaz visited to offer condolences on the passing of the Speaker’s sister.

He further explained that while informal exchanges occur occasionally, official discussions have not begun between the two sides, adding that neither have communication channels been restored with the Imran Khan-led party nor have committees commenced negotiations.

The PML-N politician stressed the need for the PTI first to express remorse and apologise for incidents on May 9 and November 26, accusing them of fabricating a false narrative to damage the state’s reputation.

He questioned who would trust the PTI and who would guarantee their credibility. “They’re looking to dodge their political failures. How can anyone trust the PTI or their guarantees?” he questioned.

Mentioning the PTI's "do-or-die" march that was launched on November 24, Tarar also pointed out that the party was told they could not assemble at D-Chowk in Islamabad, adding that all evidence of the opposition party's actions is available with the government.

Tarar also criticised the former ruling party for using provincial resources to attack the federal government, adding that they had backtracked on their stance during the 26th Constitutional Amendment discussions.