'Come to your senses': What is Pak PM's condition for talks with Imran's party
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has conditioned potential talks with the opposition PTI party on the cessation of their ongoing long march and protests. The PTI has rejected the offer, labeling it symbolic and citing the government's refusal to allow meetings with imprisoned leader Imran Khan.
Why it matters
The ongoing political deadlock between the government and the PTI threatens to destabilize Pakistan's economy and highlights the deep polarization within the country's political landscape.
Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday questioned the seriousness of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s offer for talks, calling it "merely symbolic" and saying the government had taken no concrete step beyond extending the invitation, Pakistan Today reported.PTI spokesperson Gohar said the Shehbaz Sharif-led government had also prevented PTI leaders from meeting the party’s founder and former PM Imran Khan, for nearly a year.Speaking to reporters in Rawalpindi, he said the last such meeting took place in October last year, Geo News reported.His remarks came after Sharif asked PTI to halt its ongoing long march towards Islamabad as a condition for holding talks.At an event in Islamabad, the prime minister warned that protests and long marches could hurt Pakistan’s economy.
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