Former PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry. Photo: AFP/FILE
Former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry reiterated the need for dialogue and stressed that negotiations are essential for the country’s stability. He asked the prime minister and the president to take charge of the negotiation process.
Speaking to the media after attending the court proceedings, Chaudhry said the entire PTI leadership, including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, supported the talks.
Criticizing the government, he claimed it relied on “everyday spectacles” to remain relevant and questioned how the country could function while people faced sentences totaling “thousands of years.”
He also expressed disappointment at what he described as the opposition’s lack of seriousness and urged party leaders to show bravery had they accepted responsibility.
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 PTI, sources said on Wednesday, a significant development in efforts to cool political temperatures.
Read: KP CM Afridi arrives in Karachi, received by PPP minister
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.
Chaudhry praised Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for showing responsibility but termed a recent statement attributed to Sohail Afridi as unfortunate. He said the political fight was between the government and the opposition, while ordinary Pakistanis bore the cost.
Read more: The government shows its willingness to involve the PTI
He added that the party’s real stakeholders were in prison, while those he called “guest actors” continued to travel abroad. Reiterating that PTI leaders had already called for talks, he said the government would need to reduce political tensions to make negotiations possible.
Highlighting the economic situation, he said household survey data indicated that nearly 30 percent of Pakistanis could not afford three meals a day, reflecting the severity of the crisis. He added that no overseas Pakistanis were currently willing to invest even a single dollar due to the prevailing uncertainty.
Meanwhile, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore extended Chaudhry’s interim bail till February 13 in seven cases related to the May 9 violence. The court approved the extension after confirming his attendance and adjourned the matter until the next hearing.
