No talks going on with govt, Qaisar tells NA

ISLAMABAD: Former speaker National Assembly and PTI leader Asad Qaisar Friday said no negotiations were taking place with the government.

Speaking on floor of the house, he said negotiations would be held with the permission of PTI founder once the government comes to terms and shows seriousness.

He said when the government would show seriousness, negotiating team would start talks only after taking instructions from the PTI founder.

“Let me clarify, a committee has been formed, and any negotiations will take place only when the government agrees to the terms,” Asad Qaisar said.

He said there was no truth in reports circulating in the media regarding dialogue and negotiations. “I visited the speaker only to offer condolences for the departed soul of his sister. He said the media reports about dialogue and negotiations were baseless.

Asad Qaisar said the PTI parliamentarians from Punjab were being threatened, saying he wanted to draw attention of the chair that one of his party’s MNA was asked to submit his resignation with the speaker. “Is this democracy and respect of a parliamentarian,” he said.

The ex-speaker said a martial law had been imposed practically in Punjab, where the PTI parliamentarians and their families were being threatened, their businesses had been destroyed and properties confiscated. He said he had received some information that Punjab police from Lahore, Gujrat, Toba Tek Singh and other districts had been sent to arrest the PTI workers, who would be implicated in May-9 related cases.

He claimed that majority of those who were being arrested in Punjab belong to the Pakhtun community. “There has been glaring violation of human rights in Punjab province,” he said adding that 2,000 Pakhtuns were under arrest and 900 of them were vendors and labourers. He said that none of government’s tactics would be able to pressurise the PTI leadership which would not back out from its stance. He said that a conspiracy was being hatched against Pakistan for breakup of the country, by singling out the Pakhtun community, adding that the PTI was a national party and it did not believe in provincialism.

He said Islamabad had been made no-go area for the Pakhtun community and demanded the government give up that behaviour. Asad Qaisar reiterated his party’s demand for constitution of a judicial commission comprising judges of the Supreme Court to hold probe into facts behind May 9 and Nov 26 incidents.

He also repeated his party’s demand to release the PTI founder and other workers imprisoned in different jails.