He says the PTI, the largest party in the opposition alliance, has reservations about the invitation
ISLAMABAD:
An alliance of opposition parties, the Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan (TTAP), refused to participate in a conference organized by former PTI leaders in view of reservations by PTI leaders.
The National Dialogue Committee, a forum headed by former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry, reportedly contacted the TTAP on Sunday and invited it to participate in the National Dialogue Conference scheduled for January 7. However, the movement refused to attend.
Political parties including PML-N, PPP, PTI, JUI-F, JI, MQM-P, PML-Q, BAP, ANP and others will be invited to the conference.
A TTAP spokesperson said an invitation for the conference was received, but failure to gain the confidence of the PTI, the most important stakeholder, makes the conference meaningless. “Therefore, [the TTP’s] Participation in the conference will not be possible,” he stated.
In a renewed attempt to ease rising political tensions in the country, the NDC announced on Saturday that it would convene a major national consultative conference in Islamabad on January 7, aimed at creating space for dialogue amid a deepening political impasse.
Speaking to The Express PAkGazette, Fawad Chaudhry said the initiative focuses on lowering the political temperature rather than holding negotiations on behalf of any political party.
Speaking with reference to the agenda, he said the committee believes that confidence building must start with humanitarian aid, particularly for women and political workers imprisoned in Kot Lakhpat jail.
“If the government and the establishment offer relief to these prisoners, it will help create an atmosphere for negotiations. Only then can we approach Imran Khan and convey to him that the other side is willing to start talks and ask him to reciprocate,” he said.
Chaudhry said invitations have been extended to political parties across the spectrum, as well as lawyers, intellectuals, parliamentarians and political thinkers who broadly support dialogue.
He also intervened in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s planned visit to Karachi amid criticism that the PTI is giving TTAP a role in the dialogue while announcing a street movement.
“Afridi has no alternative. What option does he have? There is no room for dialogue because the government has done nothing so far to demonstrate seriousness or willingness to start talks.”
The NDC was recently formed by a group of PTI defectors, including Fawad Chaudhry, Imran Ismail and Mahmood Maulvi, all of whom held key positions during the PTI government. The committee has positioned itself as a bridge-building forum aimed at lifting the country out of a prolonged political paralysis.
