No dialogue with PTI after it lost majority of party leadership: MNAs.

 

ISLAMABAD    -    Prime Minister Sheh­baz Sharif Tuesday said that dialogue is a key to evolving democracy, however he categori­cally stated that it could not be held with ‘anar­chists and arsonists’ in the garb of politicians.

The prime minister’s statement came after the former prime min­ister and Pakistan Teh­reek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan on Friday issued an appeal for immediate talks with state officials. PM Sharif said dialogue was deep­ly embedded in the po­litical process, which helped democracy ma­ture and evolve.

He said many polit­ical and constitution­al breakthroughs oc­curred when political leaders sat across the table to craft a consen­sus. “However, there is a major difference here, the anarchists and ar­sonists who wear the garb of politicians and attack the symbols of the State do not qualify for a dialogue,” he said.

The prime minister emphasised that such people should rather be held to account for their militant actions. He also termed it a prevalent practice even in developed de­mocracies. The Pakistan Dem­ocratic Movement also rejected the dialogue offer by PTI chief Imran Khan. PTI chief Imran Khan had earlier constituted six members committee for hold­ing talks with the government. Former PM Nawaz Sharif in a statement had also rejected the talks offer by imran khan. 

No dialogue with PTI after it lost majority of party leader­ship: MNAs

The members of the National Assembly (MNAs) on Tuesday clearly rejected the probabil­ity of dialogue with the Paki­stan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after its chairman extended an offer of talks to the coalition govern­ment and claimed that his par­ty had lost majority of its par­ty leadership after the members tendered resignations publicly in the news conferences. 

Talking to reporters outside the Parliament, Parliamenta­ry Secretary for Railways, Kiran Imran Dar said dialogue was the ultimate solution to all cri­ses but it was only held with political parties and not vio­lent goons as the PTI’s conduct on May 9 damaged the prestige of the state institutions and the country. 

She said the coalition govern­ment should hold talks with whom as the PTI Chairman Im­ran Khan’s arrogance was de­spicable towards his political opponents and he spewed ha­tred against all the leaders of his rival political parties. 

MNA, Mehnaz Akbar Aziz of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said the PTI as a politi­cal party had finished and noth­ing was left in its tank so the co­alition government could not hold talks with it. 

She alleged that the hatred, polarization and divide created by Imran Khan among the mass­es was unprecedented as there was no such thing even at the martyrdom of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Mohtarma Bena­zir Bhutto. 

Aziz said Imran Khan had spewed violence in children’s brain and he was a danger­ous man brainwashing youth and the country should get rid of him. She regretted that Im­ran Khan and his party leader­ship was not able to spend a few days in jail but he detained his political rivals for longer dura­tions. MNA, Qaiser Sheikh of PML-N said there was no pos­sibility of dialogue with the PTI as it was not possible to negoti­ate with those who attacked the state and public installations. 

“PTI had lost its say and have no one in the party. Dialogue should be held by the PTI with­in its party to keep its house in order,” he added. 

Sheikh said the Capitol Hill at­tackers were charged and im­prisoned for 18 years in the US but its administration started exhorting Pakistan to have dia­logue with PTI. He said the US administration should also hold dialogue with the Capitol Hill protestors first instead of put­ting them behind the bars. 

MNA, Syed Javaid Hasnain of PML-N said the President’s rat­ification of the Supreme Court Review of Judgments and Or­ders Act 2023, after which it passed into law had given right to appeal to the masses and it was a landmark legislation. 

However, it was the Supreme Court judges who would decide fate of the political leaders in­dicted or disqualified.

Senator Bahramand Tungi of Pakistan Peoples Party Parlia­mentarians (PPPP) said the rat­ification of the Supreme Court Review of Judgments and Or­ders Act 2023 by the Presi­dent helped in providing right to appeal to the masses and he should have done it earlier. 

He commented that this leg­islation was not to favour any individual but the poor com­mon masses. To another que­ry pertaining to proposed ban on PTI as political party, he said the PPPP was not in fa­vour of banning any political party but those who attacked the state installations were not pardonable.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said the provision of maximum relief to the masses and economic de­velopment would be among the Federal Government’s priorities in the upcoming budget for fis­cal 2023-24.

The prime minister, chairing a meeting to discuss the bud­get proposals for the industri­al sector, said the federal bud­get would also encompass the measures to enhance industrial growth as well as exports.

He said he would personal­ly make sure that the propos­als coming for the industrial sector were incorporated into the budget. The prime minis­ter instructed the authorities concerned to remove all un­necessary impediments in the increase of small, medium and large-scale industrial produc­tion. He told the meeting that the previous government delib­erately obstructed the invest­ment and industrial develop­ment in the country.

The previous government vi­olated the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to save its rule, making 220 million of Pakistan bear its brunt, he added.

He said being a resilient na­tion, Pakistanis were gradually coming out of the economic dif­ficulties.

Prime Minister Shehbaz said the government, the whole na­tion, industrialists and the busi­ness community were working hard to improve the country’s economic situation.

He said throughout the pre­vious year, the miscreants in­flicted damage to the country through “long or short” march­es and sit-ins.