ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday invited Imran Khan, the jailed founding chairman of the main opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), for talks to ease the current political tensions and move the country forward.
“Let us sit together to take the country ahead. Let us talk for the betterment of the country. There is no other way forward,” the prime minister said addressing the National Assembly.
“If their (PTI) founder is facing difficulties in jail, I say once again: come, let’s sit together and talk,” said the prime minister.
He recalled a time when politicians in the house criticized each other vehemently but also stood together in moments of joy and sorrow.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have been in conflict for years, particularly since the February 8 elections.
Reflecting on the 2018 elections, the prime minister stated, “Despite the [rigged] polls, we entered parliament. The slogans raised during my first speech will forever be remembered as a dark chapter in history.”
“When I was in the opposition, I extended the hand of dialogue to Imran, but unfortunately, such slogans were raised again. Who is responsible for this bitterness between politicians? We don’t even exchange handshakes anymore,” he lamented.
Responding to the prime minister’s remarks, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub reiterated that PTI would only engage in dialogue with the government once its founder and other incarcerated workers and leaders were released from jail.
Amidst interruptions from the treasury benches, Ayub emphasized, “You torture our workers, detain our female workers in prison vans in scorching heat. Our Prime Minister Imran Khan was kept in a death cell, an oven-like environment.”
He insisted that respect for opposition colleagues from government members was essential for the smooth conduct of parliamentary proceedings.
Addressing the prime minister’s call for reconciliation, Ayub pointed out, “Reconciliation will happen when you acknowledge the mistreatment of Yasmin Rashid, Mehmood ur Rasheed, and Hasan Niazi.”
Ayub also claimed that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had air conditioners installed in his jail cell during his imprisonment.
Earlier, the Supreme Court of Pakistan, during the NAB amendments review case, also advised PTI founder Imran Khan to initiate dialogue with politicians.
A day earlier, an Islamabad district and sessions court reserved its ruling on petitions requesting the suspension of sentences given to former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, in the iddat case — the only case where Imran Khan has been kept in jail. The court will announce its verdict on the bail plea on June 27 (tomorrow).
Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced to seven years in jail with a fine of Rs. 500,000 each.
The Islamabad High Court has already suspended his sentences in the Toshakhana and Cipher cases.
