ISLAMABAD: Three days after a key minister in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet declared that the government had decided, in principle, to place a ban on the PTI, another minister on Saturday renewed talks offer to the opposition party to reduce political tensions and resolve economic issues being faced by the country.

Speaking at a presser, Federal Minister for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik advised the PTI to come and sit together to help the government bring the country out of the current difficult situation but in the same breath he dubbed the PTI leadership “anti-state” allegedly for orchestrating the May 9 violent incidents.

The petroleum minister’s renewed offer for talks, however, met with a strong rebuke as PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan accused the minister of having “double standards”, stating that on one hand, the police and the law enforcement agencies were targeting and arresting the opposition members and on the other hand, the government was offering them dialogue.

Talking to Geo News on July 23, Information Minister Atta­ullah Tarar had stated that the government had decided, in principle, to place a ban on the PTI, but was waiting for a broader consensus among ruling allies to impose the ban.

Gohar accuses minister of dual standards after dialogue offer

During the press conference on Saturday, the petroleum minister also claimed successes in the government’s economic policies and highlighted the prime minister’s top priorities, including creating employment for the poor, reducing inflation, and alleviating poverty.

He, however, alleged that the PTI was bent upon creating hurdles in the government’s efforts to improve the country’s economy. The minister claimed that the government’s economic policies had started showing results as food inflation had dropped from 48 per cent to two per cent, and the overall inflation in the country had also decreased to 12 per cent from 38 per cent.

At the same time, he criticised the previous PTI government for giving $4 billion to the 100 richest people during its tenure. “The government is taking steps to eliminate terrorism, while the opposition speaks against these measures,” he said, adding the government had offered dialogue, whereas the opposition talked about destruction, sit-ins, and confrontational politics.

Dr Malik also criticised the PTI for maligning state institutions and their politics of sit-ins without offering solutions to current problems. He further accused the PTI chief of taking U-turns and misguiding his followers, recalling that Imran Khan used to claim that his government was removed by the US, but now he was seeking help from the US.

He even alleged that the objective of the PTI was to destroy the country and reiterated the narrative of the PML-N that military installations and memorials of the country’s heroes were targeted and attacked by PTI workers on May 9.

He claimed that the PTI chief had admitted to orchestrating the May 9 incident. “Anti-state elements are hindering progress. If there is Pakistan, then there is all of us,” the petroleum minister said, adding, “Now they are saying that the PML-N is instigating fight between the PTI and the “establishment,” but the leader of the PTI had clearly stated they would destroy the country, and the actions of the PTI were proving so.”

Dr Malik spoke in detail over the May 9 incident, adding that on that day the memorials of martyrs were desecrated. He highlighted that inflation in the country was gradually decreasing, and all economic indicators show­ed that the country was moving towards stability and alleviating poverty, reducing inflation, and providing job opportunities to the youth are the government’s foremost priorities.

He said despite economic challenges, the government had allocated Rs600 billion in the current federal budget to uplift poor people. He said the current government had allocated funds for the construction of dams, roads, and motorways, which will create job opportunities.

He said development pro­­­jects were being execu­ted, especially in backward areas, to provide job opportunities to locals, and noted that Rs50 billion had been allocated to protect 86 per cent of electricity consumers in the country for the next three months.

The minister added that the government was determined to provide more relief to the masses and improve hospitals, digitise the Federal Board of Revenue and privatise state-owned enterprises.

PTI’s reaction

Commenting on the presser, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan slammed the federal minister and accused him of dual standards. “On one hand, our workers are being picked by the police and other law enforcement agencies and, on the other, they are inviting us to talks,” Barrister Gohar Khan in a statement aired by TV channels.

He referred to the harsh language used by Mr Malik in his press conference and said this was not the way for a political party to address other political forces. “We will only take the talks offer seriously after your own attitude becomes serious,” the PTI chairman said.

Last month during the budget session of the National Assembly, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had made an offer to the opposition PTI for a dialogue, but it was immediately rejected by the opposition which made it conditional with the release of former premier Imran Khan and other party leaders and activists.

“If any hardships are being faced by your [PTI’s] founder in jail, then [let’s] talk about them,” the PM had stated in the National Assembly, addressing PTI members who kept highlighting their alleged political victimisation and decried the alleged mistreatment of Mr Khan in jail during their speeches on cut motions related to the federal budget.

In his speech, Mr Sharif recalled how PML-N leaders such as Rana Sanaullah and Khawaja Asif were allegedly forced to sleep on the floor inside the jail. He, however, said they did not want to see their opponents facing the same hardships which they had faced in the past. “Once again I say today, come, let’s sit and talk, and we can sort out the problems,” he added.

“In 76 years (since the country’s independence), we’ve [politicians] reached a point where we are even hesitating to shake hands with one another,” he regretted.

Leader of the opposition Omar Ayub Khan, however, immediately responded with stringent preconditions and retorted that the “Form 47 prime minister has talked (about reconciliation). Had there been (members elected on) Form 45 people, Imran Khan would have been the prime minister today”.

He added: “Talks will take place when Imran Khan is out of jail and when our members are out [of jail].” He accused the government of subjecting Mr Khan to harsh conditions and subjecting party members to torture. “We will not talk. Imran Khan has been kept in a death cell and an oven,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2024