The government has invited Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the opposition leader in the National Assembly, to talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on constitutional issues. The invitation was issued on Friday in a fresh attempt to break a political deadlock. It comes as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and its allies press for a formal invitation and meaningful dialogue over the imposition of emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
An invitation over tea and a row over venue
Rana Sanaullah, the prime minister's adviser on political affairs, told reporters that the government had written to Achakzai again. The letter invites him to meet the prime minister over a cup of tea and discuss the issues facing the country. Sanaullah rejected the suggestion that ego or stubbornness was holding up the meeting. He questioned why the dispute over who should visit whom, and where, mattered, arguing that the two leaders could simply sit down and discuss constitutional matters.
Achakzai, speaking alongside PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and the PTI-backed opposition leader in the Senate, Raja Nasir Abbas, offered the prime minister a choice. He said Sharif could drop formalities and join him for tea at his office, or accept substantive talks at a neutral venue of the prime minister's choosing. Achakzai said he had already made that proposal. He added that he would meet the prime minister if the government showed it was serious about talks with the opposition and extended a serious invitation.
Opposition cites earlier rounds
Achakzai's offer came with sharp criticism of the government's earlier talks. He said those engagements had produced little beyond ridicule and empty gestures, which casts doubt on the government's stated willingness to engage the opposition. He accused the government of making a mockery of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the PTI and the Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Aain-e-Pakistan (TTAP) in talks held before emergency and governor's rule were imposed in KP. "Talks cannot take place like this," he said.
Governor's rule, in general terms, means a province is run through a governor rather than by its elected provincial government. Both sides say they want dialogue, but they still disagree on the format and venue, and the proposed meeting has not yet been confirmed.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- October 11: Emergency and governor's rule are imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, after talks that Achakzai said had produced little beyond ridicule.
- Friday: The government writes to Achakzai again, inviting him to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over tea and discuss constitutional issues.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Hukumat ne opposition leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai ko PM Shehbaz Sharif se baat cheet ke liye dobara dawat di hai. Achakzai ka kehna hai ke woh tabhi milenge jab hukumat sanjeeda dawat de aur baat cheet nishpaksh jagah par ho. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa mein emergency aur governor's rule par siyasi tanao abhi jaari hai. Aam logon ke liye bijli, paise ya safar par is waqt koi seedha asar nahi bataya gaya, lekin yeh mamla pradesh ke intezaam se juda hai.
