After breakdown of talks with govt, PTI says reconciliation not possible without including Imran

After breakdown of talks with govt, PTI says reconciliation not possible without including Imran

ISLAMABAD: PTI leaders on Monday declared that reconciliation between their party and the government was not possible without including incarcerated party founder Imran Khan in the dialogue process. Narrating the opposition’s stance on why the government-PTI talks failed over the weekend, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja presented his party’s demand that Imran be included in any future political dialogues. “Only [Imran] has the capability to bridge the gulf that has developed between the state and the nation,” Raja said during the press conference held in KP House, Islamabad. “Imran Khan is very important for us and we had every right to get his opinion over the issue, but it was not allowed,” Raja claimed. The PTI leader said that another reason for talks failing was that the government was not willing to have a collective strategy against terrorism. Raja told media that PTI had started the negotiations open-heartedly and was serious about addressing the issues. He added, “Even on the second day, we were hoping that another round of talks would streamline things”. Describing the reasons for talks failing, Raja said, “We were being pushed to support the government over every action being taken regarding terrorism in KP”. He added that PTI had demanded that the government respect the recommendations and opinions of a jirga held by KP assembly, in which political parties and stakeholders had participated. The jirga had recommended solutions to the problem, PTI delegation had told government, according to Raja. The PTI delegation had asked the government to consider the opinions of tribal leaders as well, Raja said. Raja claimed that PTI had suggested that the agreement should mention that a collective decision would be made regarding terrorism, but government had said it would not put it down on paper. “We were told that a unanimous strategy against terrorism would not be developed and it would not be included in the agreement,” he said. Raja claimed that government had deliberately complicated the situation. “It is a fact that the current issues can only be addressed by Imran Khan. “We had demanded that Imran Khan and his opinion should be included in all issues, which is why we demanded a meeting of party leaders with him,” Raja told media. The hours-long negotiations between the government and the opposition during a second round of talks ended in a “deadlock” early on Sunday. The meeting at Parliament House began after 4pm on Saturday, with discussions focusing on the PTI’s planned Oct 4 march to Islamabad. Shortly before 3am on Sunday, Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, who was part of the opposition delegation, told the media that the talks had not succeeded in a breakthrough. “Deadlock,” he told reporters waiting at Parliament House in footage aired on Geo News. Asked what the points of contention were, he said they were “small things”. He added that the “issue” of meetings with Imran could not be solved. Addressing the failed talks, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam on Monday said that the government’s delegation had suggested that both sides “be on the same page” about terrorism. Following the failed talks, PTI went ahead with its march on Sunday despite warnings from the federal government. The government has threatened to send the PTI government in KP packing by imposing governor’s rule or an emergency if the party proceeded with the march. The march was announced as part of PTI’s nationwide protest to demand the release of its founder Imran. It has become a major bone of contention between the government and the main opposition party, with both taking entrenched positions.