TTAP indicates willingness to involve government in talks on constitutional protection

The Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan (TTAP) has decided to respond positively to the government’s offer to hold talks on constitutional protection, sources in the opposition alliance said. The express PAkGazette following a consultative meeting held in Islamabad a day earlier.

The meeting was attended by senior opposition leaders including Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas. Other participants were Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Asad Qaiser, Ikhwanzada Hussain Yousafzai and Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry, sources said.

During the session, members deliberated on the government’s negotiation offer and reviewed statements made by the Prime Minister’s Political Affairs Advisor Rana Sanaullah. The central leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) advised the alliance leaders to initiate contacts with the government, sources added.

Following the meeting, Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas were authorized to move forward in the negotiation process. Alliance leaders plan to hold talks with key government figures during Ramadan.

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Expressing conditional support for the talks, PTI leader Junaid Akbar said, “We are political players and believe in the negotiation process. We want to resolve the issues through compromise and dialogue… but the government must also correct its approach.”

Another senior leader, Atif Khan, confirmed the development and said: “The opposition alliance session included all member parties. Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Nasir Abbas have been entrusted with the negotiations. We will respond formally to the government and inform the public that our position has been communicated. We support dialogue for Pakistan and the Constitution.”

The government had extended a new olive branch to the opposition. The offer came from Sanaullah in response to a speech in the Senate by the opposition leader, who had demanded the formation of a parliamentary committee to meet jailed former prime minister Ian Khan and examine his health.

“Let us sit together to strengthen and advance the charter of democracy,” Sanaullah said last week, adding that the government was ready for dialogue to strengthen democracy and avoid confrontation and stalemate. “We are ready to sit with you for the betterment of the country,” he said, maintaining that parties in the current ruling coalition had emphasized the need for talks even when the PTI was in power.

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Meanwhile, TTAP leaders on Thursday expressed serious concern over a recent surge in terrorist attacks across the country and urged the government to formulate a comprehensive national counter-terrorism strategy.

At a central committee meeting of the alliance held at Khokhar’s residence during an iftar meeting in Islamabad, participants expressed concern over the escalation of attacks, particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Participants urged the federal government to formulate a comprehensive national counter-terrorism strategy in consultation with provincial governments, political actors and the public.

The opposition also expressed alarm at what it described as a worsening dispute with Afghanistan and called on both countries to avoid further confrontation. He urged the initiation of “serious, sincere and meaningful negotiations” to address the issue of terrorism, suggesting engagement with neighboring countries, as well as friendly governments such as Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, to avoid further bloodshed and external interference in Pakistan and the wider region.

The alliance demanded that former Prime Minister Ian Khan be immediately transferred to Shifa International Hospital for specialized medical treatment and be allowed access to his personal doctors. She called for an end to restrictions on his access to lawyers and family, described him as “unjustly imprisoned” and demanded his release.

TTAP condemned what it called the government’s continued “illegal secrecy” regarding Ian Khan’s health and medical treatment. He reiterated that he should be examined by his personal doctors, Dr Faisal Sultan and Dr Asim Yousaf.

Opposition leaders expressed concern over the alleged withholding of medical reports and test results from his family, warning that any criminal negligence regarding his health could aggravate the country’s political crisis.

They also expressed concern over the health of detained Sunni Ittehad Council chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza and demanded the release of all political prisoners, including Khan, Bushra Bibi, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Ejaz Chaudhry, Ali Wazir and Mahrang Baloch.

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The alliance criticized the government for deteriorating economic conditions, attributing it to what it described as incompetence. Citing recently released figures, opposition leaders claimed poverty had risen to 29 percent and unemployment had reached its highest level in 21 years.

They said that despite official claims of major economic deals, both foreign and domestic investment had declined sharply. According to the opposition, the alleged departure of hundreds of multinational companies from the Pakistani market in recent months reflects a worsening risk profile.

The leaders also criticized the purported purchase of Gulfstream jets worth billions from the public treasury, alleging that the move, along with what they called misleading justifications, had added to public complaints.

They argued that as long as doubts persisted about the government’s popularity and legal legitimacy, and as long as it continued to undermine the judicial system and the rule of law, prospects for investment and economic recovery would remain limited.

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The opposition announced that in the coming months it would present an alternative budget and policy proposals, prepared with the assistance of experts, aimed at offering solutions to the country’s economic and legal crises.

TTAP leaders also expressed concern about escalating regional tensions, alleging that the United States and Israel sought to encircle Iran and justify military action against it. The leaders noted what they described as large-scale U.S. naval and military preparations in the Middle East.

They warned that any potential US attack on Iran could lead to regional devastation and urged the government to play a diplomatic role to avoid such an outcome.

The opposition also criticized the government’s reported decision to join US President Donald Trump’s “Peace Board”, warning that the participation of Pakistan and other Muslim countries could strengthen Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories and contribute to the prospect of a war against Iran.

According to the alliance, the proposed “Peace Board” was positioning itself as a non-representative alternative to the United Nations, and the exclusion of the Palestinians from it revealed its underlying intentions. He stated that Pakistan should not be a part of any such initiative.