The president of the National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. PHOTO: FACEBOOK
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reportedly given the green light to National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to continue negotiations between the government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), sources said on Wednesday, a significant development in efforts to cool political temperatures.
Parliamentary sources stated that the government side agreed to participate in the talks at the request of the president. However, talks will only take place with elected representatives of the PTI, while no engagement with unelected party figures is planned.
Despite the government’s willingness, sources said, no PTI leader has yet formally approached the Speaker’s Office to begin the negotiation process, and the initial approach is still pending from the opposition.
Meanwhile, President Ayaz Sadiq has maintained the existing parliamentary committee structure. Sources said if the opposition shows its will, the president is ready to immediately call a committee meeting to start formal discussions.
However, despite the spokesperson’s prior invitation, there has so far been no contact from the opposition benches. The president has already offered the PTI the option of attending the negotiations in his parliamentary chamber.
The last formal interaction between the PTI representatives and the President took place on the occasion of the appointment of Mahmood Khan Achakzai as the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.
