Maryam Nawaz open to talks with establishment if PTI given the boot

Ag Agencies

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz has said her party was ready for negotiations with the “establishment” but only “within the ambit of the Constitution” and if the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was shown the door.

In an interview with BBC Urdu published on Thursday, Maryam claimed that while she had not been approached directly, her “close aides” had been contacted. She also insisted that talks could only take place if the “fake government” was sent packing “if we are to move forward”.

“The Army is my institution,” Geo News reported Maryam as saying, quoting the publication. “We will definitely talk — but within the ambit of the Constitution,” she added. The PML-N leader said she was not against state institutions, but stressed there would be no dialogue “in secret”.

She also said the idea of dialogue through the platform of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) could be deliberated upon. “The dialogue is with the people now,” she said, adding that the incumbent government was “so nervous” over the public response that “they do not know how to react”.

“The biggest stakeholders are the public,” she said, dismissing the notion that the PML-N was headed towards a dead-end due to its politics.

Maryam said her party has its own narrative while the Pakistan Peoples Party had its own.

Refusing to comment on a “minus-Imran Khan” strategy, Maryam said it was necessary to remove the PTI government to take the country out of its current crisis. “Whenever the government takes notice of a commodity, its prices shoot up,” she said.

“The biggest issue is that people’s mandate was stolen. We need free and fair elections,” she said. “It is time for the incumbent government to be held accountable.” The PML-N leader ruled out any political “understanding” with the PTI, saying that it did not make sense to form a coalition when the incumbent government was “weakened”.

Reacting to the interview, railways minister Sheikh Rashid told Geo News Maryam’s statements were “extremely irresponsible” and Nawaz Sharif dug the grave of his politics himself when he named names. He also said the demand to oust the PTI government was “non-serious”.

Science and technology minister Fawad Chaudhry said “confused Maryam Nawaz” had better call her father and ask about his demands as “we are unable to understand their point of view”.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill insisted “no one wants to hold negotiations with Maryam Nawaz”.