Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has offered talks to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), saying the government will sit with the party for dialogue if it ends its long march and sit-ins.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Kashmir Chowk Interchange in Islamabad on Tuesday, Shehbaz Sharif said the “grim shadows” of sit-ins and long marches were unfortunately appearing again.
The prime minister said the government had decided to hold talks with PTI leadership in good faith and had tried to achieve positive results through negotiations. However, he said the talks could not produce the desired outcome and claimed that it appeared PTI’s objective was to prevent the dialogue from succeeding.
Shehbaz warned that long marches and sit-ins could damage Pakistan’s economy and international reputation. He said Pakistan’s current standing at the international level was being appreciated even by its critics and that the government would not allow political activity to damage the country’s reputation.
“The safety of the lives and property of the people is our responsibility,” the prime minister said, adding that the government would ensure their protection through all possible means.
Shehbaz urged PTI to “come to its senses” and end its long march and sit-ins. He said that if the party ended the protest, the government would sit with its leadership and hold talks.
He said the country needed to move forward with hard work, courage, honesty and integrity.
The prime minister also questioned whether bringing the country’s development to a halt was in the national interest and warned that the economy would be the first target of a long march.
Earlier, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry had also said that talks with PTI could move forward, but under certain conditions. He warned that political, constitutional and other arrangements had been made to deal with the upcoming march.
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