Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah has said the government is in “off-the-record” contact with some leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He declined to name them, warning that disclosure could cause problems for the people involved.
Speaking in a televised interview on a current affairs programme, Sanaullah said these contacts take place from time to time by telephone and during sessions of the National Assembly and Senate. He said he would not reveal names because that could hurt their credibility within their own party. Once discussions became concrete, he added, they could move to formal, on-the-record negotiations.
Divisions inside PTI slow formal negotiations
Asked what was stopping informal contacts from becoming formal talks, Sanaullah pointed to divisions within PTI over the negotiating process. He said earlier discussions in party meetings had seen the previous process “sabotaged”, and claimed some supporters of the talks had faced trolling and pressure that kept them from speaking out.
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He said the government had received no signal, either through informal channels or formally, that PTI had changed its policy or approach. Any such shift might be under discussion inside party meetings, he said, but no one had told the government the party was ready to change course and settle matters through a democratic process. He expressed hope that “sense will prevail” and that the stalled negotiations would resume, stressing that dialogue was ultimately the only way to resolve political disputes.
Proposed meeting between the PM and Achakzai
Sanaullah said the first step toward reviving the stalled dialogue should be a meeting between the prime minister, as Leader of the House, and Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai. He rejected the opposition leader’s reluctance to meet the premier at the Prime Minister’s House, saying there was “no logic” behind such a position. He noted that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had himself approached the opposition leader’s seat whenever he visited the House.
The adviser also said PTI should return to parliamentary committees, which the party has boycotted even though its members continue to sit in the House. Confidence in the party’s intentions, he said, could grow once internal discussions produced a “clear method” for moving forward.
