Govt urges PTI to extend 'cut-off date' for negotiations till end Feb

• Sanaullah says PTI wasted 15 days themselves.
• Says PTI didn't share list of those killed in Islamabad protest. 
• He asks PTI to produce eye witnesses in support of their claim. 

Shifting the blame for wasting 15 days on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Thursday urged the former ruling party to extend “its cut-off date” for dialogue until February 28.

Speaking on Geo News programme 'Naya Pakistan', the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader said: “PTI wasted 15 days themselves, now extend the deadline beyond January 31.”

The PTI’s negotiation committee last week set the January 31 timeframe for the ongoing negotiations with the government to reach a "logical conclusion", reiterating the demands of a judicial probe into the May 9 riots and November 26 late-night crackdown and release of "political prisoners".

Responding to a question, Sanaullah said that they were expecting the Imran Khan-founded party to present their charter of demand in writing in yesterday’s meeting but they didn’t.

Second round of negotiation between the PTI and the ruling coalition was held with National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq in the chair on January 2. Talking to journalists after the conclusion of the meeting, Sadiq said: “Talks held in more conducive environment.” He said that the former ruling party would present its "charter of demands" in next session after meeting its jailed founder.

During the talk show, Sanaullah said that the former ruling party did not share the list of those killed in its November 26 power show in the federal capital.  

Raising questions over the PTI’s claim of 13 causalities during its “do-or-die” protest, the PML-N leader asked the former ruling party to produce eye witnesses to support their claim.             

He, however, alleged that the armed men, who were part of PTI’s protest, opened fire near Chungi No 26.

Following the police crackdown against PTI’s November 26 protest in the federal capital, the former ruling party claims that 13 of their supporters were killed, 58 sustained injuries and 45 are still missing.

Five law enforcers — four personnel of Rangers and a policeman, were also martyred during the clashes with the protesters.   

'Talks for sake of Pakistan' 

On the other hand, the top leadership of the PTI termed Pakistan their top priority and threw their weight behind the dialogue with treasury benches for the sake of the country.

Talking to journalists in Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said: “Pakistan is [our top] priority and [we] will hold talks for [the sake of] it.”

Referring to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks during today’s meeting of the Central Apex Committee on the National Action Plan (NAP), the KP firebrand chief minister said that the premier should not deny “facts” that no shots were fired during the crackdown on the PTI protesters in Islamabad in November last year.

“Making such comments is inappropriate for PM Shehbaz,” he added.

Responding to a question, the CM said that the nation together with the security institutions would eradicate the menace of terrorism from the country.

Meanwhile, incarcerated PTI senior leader and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi stressed the need for negotiations between the treasury and the opposition benches.

“Dialogue is not the need of PTI but the Pakistan.”

Talking to the media after his appearance in an anti-terrorism court in Lahore, Qureshi warned that the failure of the ongoing negotiation process could endanger democracy in the country.

“Pakistan stands at a critical juncture,” he said and prayed for a breakthrough in the ongoing dialogue process.

“Let the negation take place. The incumbent government [in Centre] will tumble if the outcome of talks is not positive,” warned the PTI leader.

PTI entered the dialogues with sincerity, the former foreign minister said and urged the coalition government to take the matters forward with sincerity.