Coalition partners meet: Allies consider national dialogue, NSC meeting

LAHORE: A meeting of coalition partners of the government on Saturday took place at Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s residence, which discussed the political and economic situation of the country.

Besides the prime minister and his party leaders, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, other leaders of his party and federal ministers attended the meeting, said a statement. They discussed the ongoing political situation in the country, as former prime minister Imran Khan and his party pressurise the government to hold early elections.

The coalition partners will continue their dialogue for two more days to find a solution to lift the country’s economy up.

The participants appreciated the government's steps for people's welfare and reposed their complete confidence in the leadership of the prime minister. They vowed to improve the national economy through mutual cooperation.

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif also attended the meeting through video link.

Sources said the possibility of holding the general elections after completing the term was also debated, if the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed to continue its bailout package for Pakistan. Election reforms were also discussed in the meeting.

Meanwhile, Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that if Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gets support from all institutions, he can take the country out of the crisis. “We will not surprise our allies, all parties in the coalition government have decided that we should complete our term,” he told the media.

“The PMLN government does not like snatching food from the poor. We should be given a free hand to work and need support from all sides,” he said and added that the nation was confident that the PMLN and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif could take the country out of the current crisis. “However, we did not know our hands would be tied after ousting Imran Khan,” he added.

Sana said they were still facing the oppression and abuse they had suffered for four years. “We demand the Supreme Court and Chief Justice of Pakistan take notice of the issues,” he added. The minister said that if the agreement with the IMF did not continue, then the economy would suffer.

To a question, he said, “We are not scared of the PTI and will welcome its long march. Imran Khan used vulgar language against Maryam Nawaz and showed his mindset to the entire nation.”