Preparing for negotiations, elections and rally, the government should decide what it wants, Shah Mehmood Qureshi

 

PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, while leading the constitution, said that we are ready for negotiations and elections and we are also ready for a rally if the elections are not held on May 14. Now it is the discretion of the government to what does the government want to be explained to us at the negotiation table tomorrow?

Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a PTI leader, expressed confusion over why PML-N's Khawaja Asif and Javed Latif were impeding the ongoing dialogue between the government and the opposition, just as they were preparing to engage in the final round of talks, following the advice of the Supreme Court to resolve the deadlock. However, the prospects of a successful outcome are becoming "very slim" as Imran Khan demands the dissolution of the National Assembly by May 14, a condition deemed "impracticable" by the government.

The PTI leader revealed that his party had presented a proposal in the second round of talks and urged the government to give a clear response to it, warning that the decision would be in the hands of the Supreme Court if they did not accept it.

Earlier, Javed Latif had criticized the government-PTI talks, saying that talks should not be held with "terrorists" and those who "want to destroy national institutions." Defense Minister Khawaja Asif also expressed his doubts about the positive outcome of the talks, and PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal emphasized that talks should be held without pre-conditions, accusing Imran Khan of wanting his way or the highway.

Qureshi also addressed the PPP, asking them why they were standing with those violating the Constitution today, and affirmed that the PTI was ready for negotiations, elections, and a movement.

Javed Latif of PML-N criticized the ongoing dialogue with those who he accuses of calling the government “Mir Jafer and Mir Sadiq”. He alleged that negotiations could not be held with “terrorists” or those who seek to undermine national institutions. He claimed that talks with such individuals could threaten Pakistan’s security and economic growth. Latif held “individuals in institutions” accountable for producing leaders like Imran Khan and warned that Pakistan’s future could be at risk if this trend continued. Additionally, he asserted that PML-N would not allow elections to take place without Nawaz Sharif’s participation and that justice must be served before Imran Khan is allowed to take the field.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) remains optimistic despite divergent views on talks within the federal coalition. PPP senior leader and PM’s special assistant Qamar Zaman Kaira expressed hope that the proposal to dissolve the assemblies by May 14 is not a condition set by Prime Minister Imran Khan. He argued that this suggestion is not viable since it will leave the budget presentation to the caretaker setup, which cannot negotiate with the IMF. He added that better sense would prevail, and the talks would not end in failure.

Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq, who recently met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Imran Khan to seek consensus on polls, also expressed hope for a breakthrough in the dialogue. Meanwhile, Maulana Fazlur Rehman reiterated that his JUI-F would not participate in any negotiations with the opposition PTI and announced a mass contact campaign across the country soon.