National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said on Wednesday he was “ready to play his role” in facilitating talks between the government and the opposition — mainly the PTI — with his “office and residence open 24 hours”.
Sadiq’s statement comes a day after senior PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah said in the lower house of the parliament that the NA speaker’s office was a “neutral venue”.
His remarks had come in response to PTI MNA Sher Afzal Marwat, whom he invited to officially hold a political dialogue with the government, especially in light of the committee formed by ex-premier and PTI founder Imran Khan.
“I want to say that the speaker’s office and the speaker’s house is open 24 hours if the opposition and government want to come and have a dialogue together to end the bitterness,” Sadiq said in a video message shared by his office.
“Whether we talk about improvements for the country, the law and order situation, climate issues or provincial autonomy, and numerous other matters on which we need to sit and have conversations.
“We have the speaker’s office for all these issues. Until I am speaker, I will not let there be any deficit,” he added, reiterating that his house belongs to members of both the treasury and opposition.
The NA speaker stressed his office was “for everyone” and its doors “were always open for the parliament members, regardless of whether there was a meeting or not”.
He also clarified his absence from the House yesterday owing to a Saudi delegation visiting Pakistan.
Since Imran’s incarceration last year based on several cases, his party’s relationship with the government, as well as the establishment, has turned exceedingly sour. The PTI has held several protests over the last year, most of which escalated into violence after facing state repression.
Following the PTI’s ‘Final Call’ power show last month, tensions escalated as there were renewed calls to ban the party and task forces formed against an alleged “malicious campaign” as the PTI claimed a dozen deaths of its supporters, which the government officially denies.
Last week, Imran constituted a five-member committee to hold negotiations with “anyone”. However, following his lawmakers’ softened stance in the parliament, he expressed his displeasure over the party leadership for adopting a “positive” posture.
The NA witnessed relative civility on Tuesday, as lawmakers from the PML-N and the PTI agreed on the need for dialogue to settle their issues, though neither side seemed willing to take the first step.
The tone was set by a comment from Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who, responding to Marwat’s reconciliatory note, said, “For the first time, a breath of fresh air came from the opposition.” However, Asif maintained that talks could not proceed “at gunpoint”.
Marwat, in his speech just before Asif’s, abandoned his firebrand ways to propose the formation of a parliamentary committee to determine terms of reference (ToRs) for dialogue between the two sides.
He also emphasised that any dialogue must involve all political forces and, once ToRs were finalised, the establishment could also be brought on board.
While Sanaullah, the prime minister’s political advisor, seemed to welcome the offer, he was adamant that the party had not formally approached them for talks.
“I request [Sher Afzal] Marwat sahib that if you have made this committee for talks with us — which you have not said a word about till this day — then officially come and say you have formed this committee for dialogue with the government or PML-N or allied parties,” he said.
