Web Desk (MNN); Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Thursday said that confidence-building measures among the country’s five key political stakeholders could help improve the prevailing political situation.
Speaking on Geo News programme Capital Talk, Sanaullah said that two of the five leaders were Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, the third was President Asif Ali Zardari, the fourth was incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, while the fifth was well known to everyone.
He said that while efforts at the level of parliamentary leaders, including himself and PTI’s Chief Whip in the National Assembly Malik Amir Dogar, would continue, no real breakthrough could be achieved unless confidence was built among the top leadership.
Rana Sanaullah said confidence-building would only be possible if social media accounts allegedly running hate campaigns against the army and its leadership were shut down. He added that the PTI leadership could not evade responsibility for such accounts and should clearly disown them, suggesting that political criticism should instead be directed at rival parties.
He also urged the PTI to withdraw its call for a wheel-jam strike scheduled for February 8, warning that such a move would fail and further worsen the political situation.
Responding to Sanaullah’s remarks, Malik Amir Dogar said the government should facilitate a meeting between Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, and PTI founder Imran Khan. He expressed hope that such an initiative could help pave the way forward.
Dogar added that if the five key leaders were to meet, the political conflict could be resolved, though he did not name all of them explicitly.
The PTI has repeatedly stated that it will not enter negotiations with the federal government. Party Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said this decision was taken on the direct instructions of party founder Imran Khan.
Earlier in December, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had reiterated his offer to hold talks with the opposition, while stressing that dialogue could only take place on legitimate issues. At a recent national conference organised by the TTAP alliance, participants agreed that in a democratic system the door to dialogue should never be closed.
On the same day, political leaders from across the spectrum, including senior figures of the ruling PML-N, also called for restraint and dialogue, warning that continued political confrontation was fuelling instability and violence. Talks between the government and the opposition, particularly the PTI, have remained a key topic of discussion since last year.
