Advisor to Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah has clarified on Wednesday that whenever the government initiates negotiations with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), they will be subject to the approval of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif.

 

“Government will take establishment on board in negotiations during its talks with PTI. Likewise, whatever PTI decides [in talks with the government] will be subject to the approval of Imran Khan,” Sanaullah said in Geo News' Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath.

 

Commenting on former Prime Minister Imran Khan's recent call to launch a civil disobedience movement if two of his demands are not met, the advisor to the PM observed, "They [PTI] will not achieve anything from the civil disobedience movement, and it will fail just like the November 24 protest.”

 

“Overseas Pakistanis do not send rupees to the government; they send it to their loved ones,” Sanaullah pointed out. He asked why PTI is expecting that overseas Pakistanis would compromise their children's education by not sending remittances to Pakistan.  Sanaullah then stated that PTI can fulfil its desire if it is in a hurry to launch a civil disobedience movement. 

 

On November 6, Imran Khan announced the launch of a civil disobedience movement; however, following the request of his party leaders, Khan deferred the call for a “few days.”

 

Previously, Jailed Imran Khan had formed the committee comprising Opposition leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Ali Amin Gandapur, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza, lawyer Salman Akram Raja and former speaker NA Asad Qaiser. This committee has been tasked with holding dialogue with the incumbent government to fulfil their two demands, including the release of “political prisoners” facing trial and the constitution of a judicial commission to probe the events of May 9, 2023, and a late-night crackdown on the PTI protesters on November 26.

 

On being asked about whether the government had offered the former ruling party to release Imran Khan in two weeks if the November 24 protest march was restricted to Sangjani, Sanaullah dismissed the claims by saying that apart from the release of Khan, the government indeed had offered to initiate dialogue with PTI.

 

Additionally, Sanaullah stressed the need for dialogue between the opposition and the government, saying that “political issues must be resolved only through dialogue.”