Amid unrest, Shehbaz offers to parley with Imran

[HAIDER]

Amid unrest, Shehbaz offers to parley with Imran​

Syed Irfan Raza Published March 16, 2023 Updated about 2 hours ago




0

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addresses a delegation of journalists in Islamabad. — DawnNews screenshot
LISTEN TO ARTICLE1x1.2x1.5x
ISLAMABAD: Extending an olive branch to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan again, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday emphasised that all political forces will have to sit for dialogue to rid the country of the ongoing political and economic crises.
He said the government would hold the general election on its scheduled time as per the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The prime minister said that the threat of Pakistan defaulting on its debt was now over as the staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would be finalised soon.
“All political forces will have to sit together to take the country forward,” the premier said while addressing a meeting held with a delegation of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) at the PM House.

Rules out snap elections, says threat of default ‘now over’

PM Shehbaz lamented that he had invited PTI for talks on two occasions in the recent past, but the party did not turn up.
“Though politicians always resort to dialogue, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has a history of not responding positively in this regard,” he noted.
The prime minister said the country was facing serious political and economic challenges but stressed that all component parties of the Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM) ruling coalition had contributed positively to improving the situation.
He regretted that PTI did not even attend the apex committee meeting held in Peshawar in the wake of the suicide attack inside a mosque in the Police Lines.
The meeting, on Wednesday, held an in-depth discussion on the overall situation in the country in areas of politics, economy, foreign affairs and security.
Talking about the general election in the country, the PM said: “No one should have any doubt in this regard. We will wholeheartedly participate in the election and follow whatever decided by the ECP.”
He said it was for the ECP to take a decision in this respect. However, he added, as president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, he had directed his party to finalise names of aspiring candidates.
He said the government was cognisant of the fact that timely elections led to a stronger state and its progress.
During the 11 months since it took over, he said, the government had successfully overcome the shadows of default.
He regretted that the previous government stepped back from the agreement inked with IMF, adding that it was not a private but a state deal non-implementation of which resulted in a big loss to the country.
He expressed the confidence that the staff-level agreement with IMF would be struck soon.
Shehbaz Sharif recalled that friendly countries, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and China, had extended support to Pakistan in trying times.
The prime minister slammed former prime minister Imran Khan for his “naked defiance” of court orders and making fun of the state institutions by his no-show in courts.
“For the first time in Pakistan, a so-called political person is considering himself above the law … non-appearance in courts is tantamount to violation of law,” he said.
He mentioned that PML-N leaders were implicated in fake cases by the previous government, but they still appeared before the courts.
“The government is not taking the action on its own, but it’s acting on the court orders,” he said in reference to the police action with regards to Imran Khan’s arrest warrants.
On the Toshakhana case, he said that Imran Khan, who called himself an ‘honest person’, was in fact a liar, who even sold a wristwatch with the model of Holy Ka’aba.
Later, Prime Minister Sharif met Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and discussed the census going on in the province, especially Karachi. Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party Chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai also called on the prime minister and discussed the political situation in the country.
Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2023

 

[IceCold]

Mor ker yeh parley pecha la la.

 

[Zhukov]

Really?
Attack on his house using state machinery. Agitate the whole party and general Public to the level of rebellion. Humiliate your our Police and Rangers and pit them against awam.
Next day invite for parley.

What is wrong with these people.
If they were serious to resolve the political crisis they would have approaced IK directly through PTI leadership in peacefull environment instead of these oress conference.
Last time he was inviting PTI to dialogie after apprehending fawad chowdhary and sheikh rasheed.

 

[PakFactor]

Really?
Attack on his house using state machinery. Agitate the whole party and general Public to the level of rebellion. Humiliate your our Police and Rangers and pit them against awam.
Next day invite for parley.

What is wrong with these people.
If they were serious to resolve the political crisis they would have approaced IK directly through PTI leadership in peacefull environment instead of these oress conference.
Last time he was inviting PTI to dialogie after apprehending fawad chowdhary and sheikh rasheed.

These clowns still think people are duffers; that's where the issue lies...
The answer to all questions is simple: hold free and fair elections and let awam decide. Anything else is a waste of time.

 

[-=virus=-]

magnanimity

great quality in a real leader.

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Trying the good cop bad cop routine at grand scale

 

[waz]

 

[Fasbre2]

magnanimity

great quality in a real leader.

This is what I mean, divert 25% of defence budget to education and the result is an educated population who can makes informed choices.. and have common sense and not follow crooks like rats following the pied piper.. and thinking of them as some messiah..

And of course ‘virus’ don’t get produced and instead become good antibodies instead…

 

[Olympus81]

Is MC ke 16bn Rs money laundering case ka kya hua?

A crook and a thief of the highest degree.

Remember the day before he was gifted PM seat, he was exonerated of his crimes.

 

[Enigma SIG]

Khan should ask Shehbaz to come to Zaman Park if he is serious. Get him to do a hand shake.

Then pull a kung fu move, grab his jaw shove 2 cyanide pills and pull an upper cut so hard Shehbazs balls come off.

 

[mudas777]

When dacots politicians are the rulers of the country and one must not expect anything better from these criminals other then lies, deception and loot mar on the grand scale.
Shame behind all this criminal activity these crooked, incompetent, useless, alcoholic, womaniser, with chest full of tin medals generals who are the main culprits. Democracy is there for a reason so all populous is part of the the decision making but when some one takes away their lawful rights then people will react and these criminals will have no where to run to. Its matter of time when people are going to pick up the weapons and will drag these generals out of there secluded farm houses and bring them on the road. Where and how far these grade 22 generals are going to run to abroad, then what live and die abroad like Musharraf did and your own soil have shrunk on you?

 

[Thəorətic Muslim]

Why does Showbaz need to meet with Imran? The government has 14 political parties in it's coalition! What's the issue with 1 party missing?

There needs to be no conversation. Elections are in April and May. End of story.

 

[khansaheeb]

Political parleys on the menu as PM meets allies

PM Shehbaz, Asif Zardari ponder election date question over dinner; both parties keen to have caretaker setup.

www.dawn.com

More parleys as whiff of elecions in the air:-

Political parleys on the menu as PM meets allies​

Zulqernain Tahir Published July 16, 2023 Updated 32 minutes ago
LISTEN TO ARTICLE1x1.2x1.5x

Former president Asif Ali Zardari meets Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Lahore, on Saturday.—White Star

• Shehbaz Sharif, Asif Zardari ponder election date question over dinner at Model Town
• Both parties keen to have caretaker setup ‘of their choosing’
• Jahangir Tareen decides to let IPP men remain on cabinet until end of govt’s term
ADVERTISING


LAHORE: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spent the better part of Saturday in intensive discussions with old allies and some new political players, as the ruling coalition scrambles to generate a consensus on the timing of the upcoming general elections, as well as the shape of the caretaker government that would oversee the polling process.

The highlight of the day was his meeting with PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari at his Model Town residence, where, sources said, issues related to the caretaker setup were “thoroughly” thrashed out.
After a dinner spread, the duo held a one-on-one meeting for over an hour.
A party insider privy to the discussions told Dawn that both sides were keen to have an interim setup that could not be prolonged — if need be. To this end, both PPP and PML-N seem to be leaning towards a transitionary setup consisting mostly of politicians rather than the technocrats who are usually picked for such jobs.
“A caretaker setup consisting of technocrats can mean that elections may be delayed for quite some time, something neither the PML-N or PPP are in favour of,” the insider told Dawn after the meeting at Model Town.
According to him, huddles in both Dubai and Lahore yielded an agreement that there should be no “significant delay” in polls. This stems from the apprehension that if a technocrat setup is installed in the Centre, the powers-that-be may try to elongate its tenure under a one-point agenda — fix economy before heading into a general election.
Sources said PM Shehbaz and Mr Zardari discussed the possibility of dissolving the National Assembly a couple of days before it is due to complete its tenure, so that elections might be held in November 2023.
Under the Constitution, if the NA completes its term, polls are to be held within 60 days. But if the assembly is dissolved prematurely, even if by a day, it would give the government 90 days to conduct elections.
Both leaders are said to have expressed their satisfaction over the IMF agreement that helped avert an impending default, and there seemed to be a consensus that since the major economic issues facing the country had been addressed to some extent, there was now “no excuse” for delaying the polls.
Earlier this month, Mr Zardari had met with PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif in the United Arab Emirates to discuss — among other things — a potential power-sharing formula if the two parties came to power in the next elections. Reportedly, the two head honchos had agreed to bring in a caretaker prime minister of their choosing, not one picked by anyone on the outside, so to speak.
In a recent address to the nation, PM Shehbaz announced in so many words that his government’s tenure would come to an end next month and the Election Commission of Pakistan would give the date for elections.
This has been interpreted in many ways, with some suggesting that the mainstream parties and the establishment were not on the ‘same page’ with regard to the date of polls.
PM meets JKT
Separately, PM Shehbaz also visited the residence of Istekham-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) patron Jahangir Khan Tareen here on Saturday to express condolences over the demise of the latter’s brother, Alamgir Khan Tareen.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visits the Lahore residence of Istehkam e Pakistan Party Chairman Jahangir Tareen and offers condolences on the sad demise of his brother, on July 15. — Photo courtesy PID

PML-N sources said the premier told JKT that his government needed his party men to stay in the coalition until the incumbent government completed its tenure.
“The premier was of the view that it would not go down well with the coalition if two of his advisers — Awn Chaudhry and Numaun Langrial — quit at a stage when there are hardly four weeks left,” sources said.
At this, Mr Tareen reportedly assured the PM that his party would continue supporting the government until the end of its term. To this end, both Mr Chaudhry and Mr Langrial have been asked to stay on at their cabinet posts – a walking back of an earlier decision by IPP leader Aleem Khan, who had asked both to quit their current posts.
IPP spokesperson Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan announced the decision in a tweet on Saturday, saying that Mr Tareen had decided that both men would remain a part of the federal cabinet until the end of its tenure.
Both the PML-N and IPP have already declared that they would contest the next elections independently from their own platform, but observers are not ruling out the possibility of a seat adjustment between the two, especially in the south Punjab region, where the PML-N is admittedly weaker.
Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2023