ISLAMABAD: Indicating the government’s exasperation with the prevailing political situation, a key government member has admitted that no progress has been made at all in the talks between the government and the protesting parties.

“The government has been very accommodating and has shown as much flexibility as we can, but they (Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri) are still where they were on day one,” Raja Zafarul Haq, Leader of the House in the Senate, said on Thursday.

He was talking to Dawn after attending an event held to mark the death anniversary of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah at the Pakistan Muslim League-N Central Secretariat on Thursday.

Mr Haq, who is also the PML-N chairman, said that talks between the two sides were currently stalled because of the inflexibility shown by the representatives of both, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek.

When asked about the fate of the talks, Mr Haq said that while neither side had officially declared an end to the negotiations, it seemed that these talks had been “temporarily suspended”.

Earlier, during a brief chat with reporters, Mr Haq said the government was ready to reconcile with the protesting leaders if they “reformed themselves”.

When asked if there had been any progress on FIR registered against Imran Khan, Dr Tahirul Qadri and their supporters for storming parliament, Mr Haq said the law would be allowed to take its course.

Asked if there is any possibility of a compromise, Mr Haq said it was possible only if the two leaders regretted their actions and took back their baseless allegations against the government.

The PML-N chairman said that his party had shown as much flexibility as possible, but Dr Qadri and Imran Khan were insisting on demands that could not be met.

“They are insisting on things that are not possible,” he said, referring to the PTI and PAT demand for the resignations of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

The PML-N leader reiterated that the government would not use force to evacuate the red zone.

Mr Haq said the entire parliament had given a unanimous and clear verdict and all 12 political parties were standing with the government in the prevailing political impasse.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2014