Says ‘talks still possible’ as PTI demands monitoring of Imran’s prison conditions
Rana Sanaullah, leader of the PML-N. SCREEN CAPTURE
ISLAMABAD:
As the opposition party continues to rail against “persecution” and finds itself virtually shut out by its jailed leader, the government once again reached out to the embattled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), renewing its invitation for dialogue on the floor of parliament, as the prime minister’s adviser Rana Sanaullah said the ruling party was still keeping the door open for talks.
Sanaullah urged the opposition to “come, sit and talk”, even as he noted that the people jailed PTI founding president Imran Khan wanted to meet “are not willing to talk to him”.
The latest offer came during a Senate session, where PTI senator Mishal Yousafzai protested that the former prime minister was not allowed to meet. He went on to propose that a parliamentary committee, headed by Rana Sanaullah and accompanied by national and international media, be constituted to verify Imran’s health status and the facilities provided to him.
Sanaullah affirmed that democracy progresses through dialogue, “not through stagnation”, recalling that the prime minister had twice invited the opposition to talks and had even offered to meet them in the speaker’s chamber of the National Assembly “if that makes it easier.”
He further said that it was “on record” that the PTI was not willing to talk to the government, while those who wanted to participate “are not ready”.
However, he added that certain procedural issues must be resolved before any meeting with a prisoner, and that the conversation the PTI representatives had after their previous meeting with Imran “is also before everyone.”
Sanaullah further stated that the State could not allow any prisoner to “use meetings to lead a movement against the State.”
It is worth noting here that the government, for its part, has extended an olive branch to the opposition on many occasions. However, the jailed former prime minister has repeatedly denounced unequal conditions and “political persecution”, lamenting that the climate for talks remains too murky to wade into amid legal cases and imprisonments.
The government last initiated its engagement with the PTI last December, after a prolonged period of political friction. Talks have stalled despite a flurry of initial moves.
The two sides met three times, on December 27, 2024, January 2, and January 16. However, the process collapsed when the PTI abruptly withdrew.
