Sanaullah says offer for dialogue with PTI still stands

ISLAMABAD:  Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political and Public Affairs Senator Rana Sanaullah on Friday said that it remains open to political engagement with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), emphasising that meaningful dialogue was the only democratic path forward.

Speaking on the Senate floor in response to a point of public interest raised by opposition Senator Mishal Azam, he noted that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s invitation for talks “still stands today,” adding that political issues could only be resolved through engagement.

Prime Minister Shehbaz has time and again invited jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party to resume its reconciliatory talks, with the most recent one being during Pakistan-India’s four-day armed conflict.

The dialogue between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led government and the PTI commenced in late December after months of heightened political tensions.

Despite the two sides holding three rounds of negotiations on December 27, 2024, January 2, 2025, and January 16, the dialogue process hit a snag after the PTI refused to continue with the talks, first saying that they had been called off by its incarcerated founder, Imran Khan and then later backtracking and noting that they had only been put on hold.

With the PTI skipping the fourth session, the PM had offered to form a parliamentary committee to advance the talks. The offer, however, was turned down by the PTI.

During Friday’s Senate session, Sanaullah urged the Khan-founded party’s leadership to return to the negotiating table, stressing that “democracy moves forward through dialogue, not deadlock.”

He lamented that the PTI leadership “is not willing to speak to us,” while those they are willing to talk to “do not wish to talk to them.”

Referring to the jail meetings with the incarcerated former prime minister, Sanaullah said any meetings with under-trial prisoners must follow legal and prison rules. “Such meetings cannot be allowed if they risk disturbing public order or creating unrest,” he added.

He further said that if the opposition wishes to form a parliamentary committee on this matter, they must first coordinate with their leadership and obtain clear instructions, he said. Staff Report