ISLAMABAD: The government remains willing to hold talks with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), but will not allow negotiations to be used to compel it to accept political demands, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said on Wednesday.
His remarks came as the government and opposition continued to differ over the terms and purpose of dialogue, with protest plans adding to the political uncertainty. Sanaullah said the government’s position was that talks could proceed without the threat of street mobilisation being used to dictate their outcome.
Speaking to reporters, he referred to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s earlier invitation to PTI leaders to enter discussions rather than continue with planned protests. The adviser maintained that the administration had not closed the door to engagement with the opposition.
The distinction matters because an offer to negotiate is not the same as an agreement on an agenda, concessions or a timetable. No new formal settlement between the government and PTI was announced in Sanaullah’s remarks.
The adviser also rejected PTI’s account of its exclusion from decisions on counterterrorism policy, according to reporting on his comments. Security policy has become another point of contention between federal officials and the opposition, particularly in the context of violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tensions involving Afghanistan.
Those arguments should be understood as competing political positions rather than findings that establish responsibility for security failures. The opposition’s response to the adviser’s latest remarks was not independently confirmed for this draft.
The renewed exchange follows efforts to create a channel for talks between government and opposition representatives. Whether the latest invitation produces a meeting will depend on the parties agreeing to participate and deciding what can be discussed.
For now, the government’s stated position is that dialogue remains available, while PTI has not been shown in the reporting reviewed here to have accepted a fresh set of terms. The next material development would be confirmation of a meeting, an agreed agenda or a formal response from the party.