Politicians and civil society urge the restoration of political activities and the release of political workers, including women.
The National Dialogue Committee (NDC) convenes a conference in Islamabad to discuss the political situation in the country.
The National Dialogue Committee (NDC) has called for immediate and comprehensive negotiations between the government and the opposition to address Pakistan’s worsening political and economic situation.
According to the statement issued after the committee conference held in Islamabad, the forum recommended that President Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lead the negotiations on behalf of the government, while the opposition forms its own committee to initiate a structured dialogue process.
The declaration affirmed that political activities must be fully restored within the constitutional and legal framework and that all restrictions on political engagement must be lifted. He emphasized that democracy cannot function without a strong opposition and urged the immediate appointment of opposition leaders in both the Senate and the National Assembly.
The committee further stressed that both the government and the opposition must refrain from using the armed forces for political purposes or carrying out negative propaganda against state institutions.
The participants strongly demanded the immediate release of all detained political workers, including Bushra Bibi and Dr. Yasmin Rashid, and called for them to be provided with adequate medical treatment. He also urged the withdrawal of cases against political workers and the release of all political prisoners.
They also demanded an end to media censorship and the removal of restrictions on television presenters, reaffirming that press freedom is essential for a healthy democracy. The forum expressed grave concern over the deteriorating political, economic and security conditions in the country and underlined the urgent need for political unity and national consensus.
He paid tribute to the sacrifices of the armed forces, police, Rangers and other law enforcement agencies in the fight against terrorism and offered prayers for the martyrs. The statement reaffirmed that the entire nation is united by Pakistan’s sovereignty, defence, security and dignity of its institutions.
The NDC also proposed a detailed roadmap to restore political stability. He called for ending unconstitutional practices, ensuring complete political freedom, holding transparent elections, respecting public mandate, strengthening institutions, ending corruption and enforcing accountability.
He urged the government and opposition to resolve differences through dialogue rather than confrontation and warned that political polarization was causing serious damage to national unity and governance.
The conference concluded that sustainable political stability can only be achieved through continuous dialogue and consensus building. He resolved that the National Dialogue Committee would continue to play its role in facilitating negotiations at the national level in the supreme interest of the country and its people.
Convened by former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, it was attended by political figures, legal experts, journalists and civil society representatives. However, no representative of PTI and Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan attended the meeting, drawing criticism from participants who expressed disappointment and emphasized that both sides should have joined the dialogue.
