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Pakistan's federal government has again extended a dialogue offer to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq stressed that the option of talks had never been dropped, Dawn reported.
Addressing reporters at the Punjab Assembly on Friday, Sadiq said that the government has always been open to dialogue with PTI and that's why he has not dissolved the committee formed for the purpose. In response to a query, National Assembly Speaker said, "The ball is in the PTI court now as it has to seek approval from within the party first before engaging the government side," according to Dawn report. Sadiq stressed that the government's communication with PTI is intact and it has never been cut off despite political differences. Acknowledging complexities in engaging with PTI, he said that party founder is a "tough man." Last week, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed government willingess to resume talks with the PTI, which had backed out of the dialogue process, complaining that its demand for establishing a judicial commission to investigate incidents on May 9, 2023 and Nov 26, 2024 as well as 2024 elections had not been accepted. Shehbaz Sharif offered to constitute parliamentary committee to resolve the issue. He recalled that PTI had never constituted a judicial commission but a committee on opposition's demand when it was in power. He called on Imran Khan-founded party to resume talks and accept establishing the proposed committee which would carry out probe into two elections that were held in 2018 and 2014, according to Dawn report. Political adviser to Pakistan PM, Rana Sanaullah had also expressed willingness to engage PTI in talks. PTI has rejected Shehbaz Sharif's offer to resume talks with the government and to constitute a parliamentary committee, Geo News reported. Speaking on Geo News programme Capital Talk, PTI top leader and Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub said: "We reject Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's offer [to resume dialogue]". Reiterating the party's demand to release PTI's "political prisoners", Ayub said, "Our demands were clear." Pakistan government negotiation committee spokesperson, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, said PTI showcased their non-democratic and non-political mentality by ending dialogue, Geo News reported. He further said, "PTI lost a good opportunity towards [fulfillment] of their demands." (ANI)
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