Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Tuesday that the PTI founder and his wife must strictly abide by court orders, stressing that no individual was above the law.
Talking to reporters, Sanaullah said the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had clearly laid down the procedure for meetings with the PTI founder. He said that during the most recent meeting, the PTI founder and his wife were present together, and there should be no doubts about the government’s intentions in this regard.
He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had repeatedly offered dialogue to the PTI, including twice from the floor of the National Assembly and later during a cabinet meeting. However, he added, PTI leaders continued to claim they did not have the authority to hold talks.
Sanaullah said the prime minister makes such offers only after consulting the establishment and party leadership. He criticised the PTI’s position, saying that whenever the party announced a protest movement, it accused the government of proposing talks merely to ease pressure. He said the PTI was free to go ahead with its planned “wheel-jam” protest in February if it so wished.
He further said the PTI had again demanded meetings before considering talks, despite the prime minister already extending an offer for negotiations. He claimed the PTI founder had consistently avoided dialogue and was unwilling to come to the negotiating table.
Recalling past events, Sanaullah said the PTI founder had adopted a similar approach during his tenure as prime minister by refusing to engage with political opponents. He warned that a policy of confrontation with the state would only harm the PTI founder, adding that such an approach could not be supported.
