Imran ready for talks with PDM govt: JI chief

ISLAMABAD: Is Imran Khan ready for holding talks with the PDM government? Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Sirajul Haq claims that both sides have agreed to hold talks and discuss the ongoing political crisis in the country.

The JI Ameer confirmed it to The News that he held a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and discussed the ongoing political crisis with him. According to the JI chief, the current economic, constitutional and political crises demand the politicians to sit together and find a solution. The JI chief told The News, “I have informed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that the ongoing crisis cannot be resolved by a single political party or leader. Therefore, it is necessary that all the leaderships should sit together to take the country out of the quagmire. The prime minister has agreed and shown his willingness to hold a dialogue with all the political leaders of the country, including Imran Khan.”

The JI Ameer further said that before meeting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, he held a meeting with former prime minister Imran Khan yesterday (Saturday). According to the JI chief, Imran Khan also showed his willingness to hold a dialogue with the PDM government.

The JI chief will also hold meetings with the leadership of other political parties and convince them to sit together for the sake of the country’s well-being. He will also consult with other key stakeholders to take the country out of the crisis through a meaningful national dialogue.

Apart from the Jamaat-e-Islami leader, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has also constituted a three-member committee comprising former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, Naveed Qamar and Qamar Zaman Kaira to evolve a political consensus within the ruling alliance for holding a dialogue with the political parties. The committee has held several meetings with the leadership of the ruling alliance, including Shahzain Bugti, Mohsin Dawar and others.

It is important to note here that Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, had also stressed on dialogue among all the political leaderships. During the hearing of the election delay case last month, the chief justice asked the counsels representing political parties to consult with their leaderships about the elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, no leader was willing to hold dialogue with each other at that time.

When contacted, former minister for information and broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry confirmed to The News that the JI chief had held a meeting with Imran Khan. The party has issued a press statement accordingly.

According to the statement, Imran Khan is ready to hold talks within the constitutional limits. During the meeting, the JI chief has suggested constituting a committee for holding a dialogue on the upcoming elections, reads the press statement.

The News sent a query to Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb but she did not respond to this scribe’s query.