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Hours after a "breakthrough" was reported between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Federal government amid PTI's civil disobedience threat, Pakistan's Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said that no formal discussions with Imran Khan's party have started, Geo News reported.
Tarar's clarification came after the "icebreaker" meeting between the NA speaker Sardar Sadiq and top PTI leaders including Asad Qaiser, Omar Ayub and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza at the Speaker House in Islamabad on Wednesday, as per Geo News. "No meeting took place between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq at the latter's residence," Tarar told Geo News on Wednesday. Following the meeting, the PTI and the government said they wanted to negotiate without any preconditions ahead of the former's civil disobedience movement, Geo News reported. The meeting was held following a telephone contact between Qaiser and Sadiq. Tarar said that Asad Qaiser was not present at the NA Speaker's residence when Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited to offer condolences on the passing of the Speaker's sister. He further explained that while informal exchanges occur occasionally, official discussions have not begun between the two sides, adding that neither have communication channels been restored with the Imran Khan-led party nor have committees commenced negotiations. Tarar stressed the need for the PTI first to express remorse and apologise for incidents on May 9 and November 26, accusing them of fabricating a false narrative to damage the state's reputation. He questioned who would trust the PTI and who would guarantee their credibility. "They're looking to dodge their political failures. How can anyone trust the PTI or their guarantees?" he questioned. Tarar on December 3 criticised the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for fabricating a false narrative regarding alleged firing at protesters during the November 26 demonstration, as reported by ARY News. "There is not a single video in which law enforcement agencies can be seen directly firing on protesters. They (PTI protesters) have all kinds of videos, but there is no video evidence of [direct firing] as this never happened," he said, as quoted by ARY News. The arrest of Imran Khan on May 9 resulted in violent clashes across the nation. As a result, the protests were held in remote and major cities as the party workers were agitated due to their chairman's arrest, with Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad summoning the armed forces to ensure law and order, ARY News reported. (ANI)
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