Govt denies opposition claims of 'barring Islamabad hotel' from hosting two-day moot

• Rana says opposition must reveal who gave orders.
• Adds hotel staffer may have made up statement.
• "Abbasi, Fazl, Achakzai will talk instead of carrying out arson."

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has rejected claims by opposition parties of barring an Islamabad hotel from hosting the two-day Grand Alliance Conference, asking them to name the "official or minister" who asked its administration to revoke permission for the moot.

"If the opposition has the perseverance to speak the truth, so they must speak true...which minister or government official gave the orders to the hotel administration," Prime Minister's aide on Political and Public Affairs, Rana Sanaullah asked while speaking on Geo News programme 'Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath'.

The statement came hours after the opposition alliance, Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan, accused the government of "threatening the hotel's administration" to revoke permission for the second day of the moot, which was being held at the venue.

“There was nothing which was against the state nor was there any talk of incitement. Just talks on the Constitution and the rule of law," former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said while speaking to journalists after the completion of the first day of the moot in Islamabad.

The meeting was attended by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Awam Pakistan's Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen's (MWM) Nasir Shirazi and others.

He noted that the conference was not in the streets with the participation of hundreds of thousands.

"The hotel administration told us that they were threatened to revoke the permission for the second day of the moot. When we asked the administration to give us in writing why the conference could not be held for the above reason, they [staff] expressed their helplessness," he added.

However, he said, the alliance has decided that the conference will definitely take place tomorrow. "This is our constitutional right and we are talking about the Constitution,” he added.

Speaking during today's programme, Sanaullah said that the hotel staffer may have made up the statement, adding that the staffer may himself not want to host the conference. "The hotel staffer may not agree with the conference," he added.

"From deputy commissioners to commissioner or ministers, tell us who gave the orders," he asked the opposition.

When asked about the opposition alliance, he apparently welcomed it and said if the alliance is formed, there would be an agenda and course of action.

"Whether Khaqan, [JUI-F chief] Maulana Fazlur Rehman, or Achakzai lead it, sanity will prevail...there would be a political dialogue or political sense. The alliance would hold dialogue with the ruling coalition and matters would be resolved," he said.

The PM's aide noted that people like Abbasi, Fazl or Achakzai would sit at the table with the government instead of carrying out arson or violence.

Separately, Khaqan — while speaking on today's programme — said that it was not possible to run the country by oppressing the opposition. "This mandate-less government cannot run or resolve issues," he added.

Vowing to proceed with the moot, the former premier said that they would visit the hotel tomorrow and see what the government does.

In response to a question, he said if PTI wants to take to the streets, it is their right and "we have nothing to do with it". He admitted that the differences between PTI and JUI-F have not been resolved yet.

Responding to another question, Abbasi said Senator Abdul Ghafoor Hyderi would represent the JUI-F in the moot tomorrow.

The convergence of opposition parties comes against the backdrop of now-stalled negotiations between the PTI and the ruling coalition which failed to produce much results despite multiple rounds of talks.

The Imran Khan-founded party, since then, has engaged in a contact drive — initiated in light of ex-PM's directives — with the TTAP leaders also visiting Sindh to meet the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) with the two sides agreeing to work together for the supremacy of the Constitution and independence of the judiciary and parliament in the country.

The two sides also agreed to form committees as the next step in working together to achieve a common agenda.