ISLAMABAD, Dec 15: The PTI again hit out at leaders of the PML-N on Sunday for questioning its decision to hold a protest rally in Lahore on Dec 22 against an unprecedented increase in the cost of living under the present government.

Information Minister Pervez Rashid inveighed against PTI chief Imran Khan in Lahore for holding “unnecessary sit-ins” all over the country and causing problems for people.

PTI spokesperson Dr Shireen Mazari issued a rejoinder in Islamabad, arguing that the government was getting scared after Mr Khan’s decision to hold rallies against price hike.

Leaders from the two parties foresee more incendiary statements from both sides against each other because of the local government elections scheduled for Jan 30 in Punjab and uncertainty over the talks with Taliban. The latter issue had for a brief period brought the PML-N and PTI leaders closer to each other. The PTI chairman had said on Saturday at a press conference in Lahore that the honeymoon period for the federal government was over and it should get ready for tough time in coming days.

Earlier, only the information minister would respond to the criticism of the government by the PTI, be its reservations about election rigging or other polices.

On Sunday, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan also made a scathing remark that he “wouldn’t allow a political party to use the issue of alleged manipulation of the general elections in the favour of the PML-N, which it is playing with like a baby”.

Hoping that a breakthrough in negotiations with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) would bring much needed improvement in the law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the PTI fully supported the government’s decision to hold talks with militants.

The PTI chairman was at the forefront in endorsing the decision made by the all-party conference (APC) held on Sept 9 in this regard.

The interior minister, who was the point man for reaching out to the TTP, claimed the government was about to send a delegation to North Waziristan when the Americans killed the group’s chief Hakeemullah Mehsud in a drone attack.

The PTI chief endorsed the government’s claim that the killing had ruined whatever ground the government had covered in wooing the militant leaders to talks.

It was a rare occasion on Nov 4 in the National Assembly when the PTI leader more than once lauded efforts put in by Chaudhry Nisar for initiating talks with the TTP. He endorsed the view of the minister that the US had deliberately killed Mehsud to spoil government’s efforts for bringing the TTP leaders to the negotiating table.

However, the PTI demanded that the government halt Nato supplies passing through the country, which the latter refused to do.

PTI workers since Nov 23 aren’t allowing Nato containers to cross Peshawar and leaders from the two sides since then have regularly exchanged barbs over their stances on the issue.

“Following the Sept 9 APC, Chaudhry Nisar regularly updated Mr Khan regarding progress on talks with the Taliban and we hoped for a positive outcome, but now neither the government nor the TTP appear to be interested in negotiations. This has led to a break in communication between the two leaders,” a PTI leader told Dawn.

PTI sources said the party’s core committee had decided to ratchet up criticism of the PML-N at all fronts, particularly on price hike and alleged cases of election rigging.