ISLAMABAD: The process of dialogue, that began a day earlier, came to a screeching halt on Thursday as both the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) lashed out at the government for trying to sabotage the talks by trying to seal off the sit-in venue.

Warning the United States against interfering in the “internal affairs” of Pakistan, PTI chief Imran Khan went as far as to declare, “As long as I am alive, I will not move from here,” as he reiterated his call for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to step down.

According to late night reports, PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi met US Ambassador Richard Olson.

PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri also lashed out at the National Assembly resolution rejecting the possibility of the prime minister’s resignation, saying, “Except for a few, all parliamentarians are shareholders in the government’s corruption.”

“Do you think that the people of any western country will agree to accept a government that comes into power after rigging the elections,” he asked, directing his question at the United States ambassador in Islamabad.

Mr Khan said he was hopeful that they would succeed in their struggle to get rid of Nawaz Sharif within the next two days.

“Tomorrow, we will celebrate independence after Friday prayers,” he announced.

“The PTI was interested in talks but the government deputed the police force to take action against the protesters and also stopped people who were coming to participate in the sit-in by closing roads,” he said.

In a related development, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ruled out the use of force against the participants of long marches and reiterated to resolve the matter through dialogue.

Talking to senior journalists and anchorpersons at the Prime Minister House on Thursday, he said the government could not think of using force against the protesters because women and children were also among them.

Answering a question, the prime minister said the government could not be blackmailed by bringing 10,000 to 15,000 people outside the Parliament House. He said the government was ready for dialogue and still committed to it for defusing the crisis. All political forces are on the same page and the government will fully respect the mandate of the people.

According to APP, Mr Sharif said the democratic system would not be allowed to be derailed and by accepting the demand for resignation he did not want to bring another crisis to the country. He said people had pinned some hopes on Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri but media had exposed their real faces to the people.

PTI chief Imran Khan also criticised parliamentarians such as Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Maulana Fazlur Rehman for what he called their pro-government role in the current crisis. He also refused to accept Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Ahmed Shah on the negotiation committee, saying that he would prefer to talk to former information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira of the PPP.

Late on Thursday night, as a brief downpour cooled down temperatures in the capital, Mr Khan declared, “This rain is a blessing from God.”

Over at the PAT sit-in, the guards that form Dr Tahirul Qadri’s protective cordon were seen armed for the first time this week. Ten to 12 guards were standing atop his cabin, including two armed with automatic weapons. Another two guards with shotguns were also seen on the stage where Dr Qadri delivered his speech.

As the PAT chief warned his supporters of possible arrests on Thursday night, he also made his followers renew their pledge of allegiance to him.

The PAT chairman also accused the prime minister and his family of controlling almost all major industries in the country, from steel, sugar, plastic, dairy, poultry to feed and said they were supplementing their hold by taking billions of rupees in bank loans. He also listed some of the industries and firms allegedly owned by the Sharif family.

He said the country had natural resources in abundance, which the government wanted to sell in exchange for heavy kickbacks and commissions. He alleged that Nawaz Sharif’s son, Hussain Nawaz, had been asked to select an international firm to award a contract to dig and exploit the Reko Diq gold reserves in Balochistan, which had an estimated value of $100,000 billion.

After a daylong of protest, most PAT workers were sleeping on the Constitution Avenue when rain disturbed their reverie. But most workers enjoyed the downpour and appeared to have regained their morale. During the shower, PAT leaders came on to the stage and danced to the tune of different songs to keep their workers involved.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2014