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Senator says bitterness between PPP and PML-N was always there but they still held talks
- PTI senator says dialogue can be held with empowered circles.
- PTI leader says they want to talk about constitutional system.
- Siddiqui says they want to talk about PTI founder not country.
ISLAMABAD: Referring to the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI)’s attempts to seek a dialogue with the establishment, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Irfan Siddiqui on Monday said the party was “knocking on a door from where they could only get charity”.
Speaking during Geo News show “Geo Pakistan“, Senator Siddiqui said PTI founder Imran Khan did not want to talk to others. Khan even did not shake hands with the opposition when he was in power, he said pointing towards the politico’s stubbornness.
“I spoke about it in the Senate and presented this offer (of talks) to the PTI as I often go and sit in the PTI lobby and talk to them,” he said.
Giving an example of the bitterness between the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and PML-N in the past, the senator said both parties overcame their differences and held talks.
At this, PTI leader Waleed Iqbal, who appeared on the same show, said dialogue could be held with those wielding real powers only and they had placed no condition on the negotiations with them. However, he said, the PTI founder had said that there would be no talks with the PPP, PML-N and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).
During the show, Siddiqui said PTI did not want to talk about Pakistan, they only wanted to talk about Khan.
“We want to talk about a constitutional system and not about a person. Imran Khan’s priority is the Constitution and law,” Iqbal responded.
He said the ongoing crisis needed to be taken seriously. They would continue to hold demonstrations until PTI’s mandate was accepted, he said.
Last week, former president Dr Arif Alvi, while responding to questions regarding talks with the establishment had said the PTI founder would prefer jail over deal.
Addressing a press conference while flanked by Alvi outside the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan on May 9 said: “The PTI founder has assigned important responsibility to Arif Alvi [during his maiden meeting with Khan after leaving the Presidency].”
Alvi had been making efforts to bridge the gap between the establishment and the former ruling party, Ayub said.
For his part, the former president said: “The PTI founder is ready to render [more] sacrifices [for the country]”
Without disclosing the nature of the “important responsibility” the PTI leader said: “I have received instructions from the PTI founder.”
Alvi emphasised the need for an impartial investigation into the May 9 incidents.
“The oppressor should seek forgiveness. Forgiveness is the only answer to all disputes. Those having real powers should initiate the dialogue process,” he had reiterated in response to the military’s demand for an apology for May 9 violence.
Earlier on May 7, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry asked “those involved in the May 9 violent protests to apologise” and shun politics of “anarchy” before holding any dialogue.
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