Denying that the government’s talks with the PTI had formally begun, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Tuesday that the dialogue could not be held if the party set preconditions for it, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Speaking in the National Assembly (NA), he said concrete steps needed to be taken for the purpose. “On one hand, PTI leaders talk about launching a civil disobedience movement, while, on the other hand, they talk about holding negotiations with the government,” he said, adding, “If PTI leaders say that my language is bad, then their language is not good either.”
“Disputes are settled through talks, not by hurling threats at each other. Talks cannot be held at gunpoint,” the minister said categorically.
Earlier, in his speech, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said that if the PTI would extend an olive branch towards the government, the latter too would be cordial towards it.
Quoting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Sanaullah said he had said that the government was ready to discuss every issue with the opposition. “When the PML-N leaders were being sent to jails during the PTI government, even then the party had talked about rapprochement.”