Islamabad:Backchannel contacts have brightened prospects for dialogue between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), amid reports that the majority of PTI parliamentarians, including some recently convicted, favour opening formal talks.Sources told The News that National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq is playing a key role in facilitating the process and has established contact with both sides. From the government side, some like PMLN’s Rana Sanaullah are also said to be willing to engage PTI leaders, despite the reluctance of the party’s founder chairman, Imran Khan, to speak with government representatives. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also repeatedly offered dialogue to PTI.
Interestingly, most PTI parliamentarians are now pushing hard for dialogue. According to sources, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has been tasked with paving the way for meaningful negotiations.However, apprehensions remain that Imran Khan may once again block the process. To address this, PTI lawmakers are considering meeting the jailed leader in groups to persuade Khan to reconsider his stance.
One PTI parliamentarian alleged that certain non-elected individuals with direct or indirect access to Khan are misleading him. These unelected advisers, it is feared, may push Khan toward a policy of en bloc resignations from the National Assembly. “It must be prevented,” said the source.Differences have also emerged over Khan’s decision not to contest upcoming by-elections on seats vacated due to the conviction or disqualification of PTI MPs. Some lawmakers, who along with their families have contested elections for decades, argue that boycotting would effectively hand over their constituencies to political rivals.
The pro-dialogue bloc within the PTI is also pinning hopes on senior leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who has been acquitted in three May 9-related cases and is expected to secure bail in other cases within a few months. They view Qureshi as an experienced politician capable of steering the party toward engagement.Sources said the Speaker’s latest offer to facilitate talks is the result of days of quiet discussions with both camps. A growing number of PTI leaders now believe that confrontation and agitation have backfired, worsening rather than resolving their political challenges.
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