PTI rebuffs govt’s offer for talks

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Saturday offered dialogue to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), while the major opposition party rejected the offer of talks, saying the behaviour of the ruling party was not political.

Addressing a press conference, Federal Minister for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik said: “Talk, don’t waste. Sort out, not confuse.” He said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wanted to end poverty in the country and create employment. He is serious about ending unemployment and inflation.The minister claimed the government’s economic policies have started showing results under Shehbaz’s leadership, resulting in a drop in food inflation from 48 percent to 2 percent. He said the overall inflation in the country had also decreased to 12 percent from 38 percent due to the government’s measures.

He highlighted that inflation in the country was gradually decreasing, and all economic indicators show the country was moving towards stability. The minister said alleviating poverty, reducing inflation and providing job opportunities to the youth are the government’s foremost priorities.

Despite the economic challenges, the government has allocated Rs600 billion in the current federal budget to support the poor people. The minister said the current government has allocated funds for the construction of dams, roads and motorways, which will create job opportunities. He said development projects are being executed, especially in the backward areas to provide job opportunities to locals.

He also noted that Rs50 billion had been allocated to protect 86 percent of electricity consumers in the country for the next three months. He said the government was determined to provide more relief to the masses and improve hospitals, digitise Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and privatise state-owned enterprises.

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. The government has offered dialogue, whereas the opposition talks about destruction, sit-ins and confrontational politics, he said.

Malik criticised the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) for its maligning campaign against the state institutions and their politics of sit-ins without offering solutions to current problems. He further accused the PTI leader of taking U-turns and misguiding his followers.

He recalled that the PTI leader used to claim his government was removed by the US but was now seeking help from the US. He alleged that the objective of PTI was to destroy the country. He said: “To sort out was not your intention, as you wanted to complicate (situation). Today you are raising hue and cry. You are doing cruelty to the future of your children. If you want to remove us, remove.”He said that military installations and memorials of the country’s heroes were targeted and attacked by the PTI workers on May 9. He claimed that the PTI leader had admitted to the incidents of May 9.

In his reaction to Musadik Malik’s offer, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the behaviour of the ruling party was not political. While talking to a private TV, he said, “Does anyone adopt such a style of conversation on negotiations?”

He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz should review its way and behaviour. On the one hand, workers and leaders are being picked up, trampling the concept of privacy and, on the other hand, negotiations are being offered. “We cannot even protest peacefully, how can we accept such a negotiation offer,” he charged. This government, he alleged, was a product of Form 47.