ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said on Thursday the agenda of a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the opposition leader was more important than its venue, reiterating the government’s willingness to hold talks.
Speaking to Geo News, Chaudhry said the prime minister was ready to meet Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai to discuss matters of national interest and fulfil constitutional requirements.
Earlier today, opposition alliance Tehreek Tahaffuz Aiyeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) proposed the Constitution Room in Parliament for a potential meeting between the premier and Achakzai.
“If the prime minister comes to the opposition chamber, we will take him to the Constitution Room,” TTAP spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain told Geo News, adding that the opposition wanted negotiations to take place at a neutral venue without ego or stubbornness obstructing dialogue.
Achakzai had previously declined to participate in talks at the National Assembly speaker’s chamber, saying he would attend if the negotiations were held at a neutral location.
The latest developments came as PM Shehbaz visited Peshawar and chaired a meeting of the federal apex committee to review the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
It was his first visit to the province since President Asif Ali Zardari proclaimed emergency and governor’s rule on October 11 on his advice.
Addressing the meeting, the premier said the measures had been undertaken under “extreme compulsion”.
Rejecting allegations that the federal government wanted to take control of KP for political reasons, Chaudhry questioned why the Centre would seek to assume control of a province facing terrorism and resource constraints. He said the emergency was imposed to restore peace and promote development.
Responding to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) central leader Salman Akram Raja’s remarks that Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who is now dysfunctional after the Centre’s emergency measures, was not responsible for the failure of negotiations, Chaudhry said the opposition delegation lacked the authority to make a final decision.
He claimed that four drafts had been finalised during the talks, but opposition representatives repeatedly sought Afridi’s approval. According to the minister, the delegation eventually backed away from the fourth draft, saying the chief minister did not agree to it.
Chaudhry said arrangements for doctors’ access and meetings had also been clarified by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi during the negotiations.
Chaudhry urged political parties to work together against terrorism, expressing confidence that peace and development would return to KP. –Agencies
