Altaf urges Imran, Qadri to resume talks on ‘give and take’ basis

KARACHI: Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain on Monday urged the leaders of protesting parties Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) to re-initiate the dialogue process on “give and take” basis.

In a statement, the MQM leader asked PTI chief Imran Khan and PAT leader Dr Tahirul Qadri to display their seriousness and astuteness in solving the issues by re-launching the talks with the government.

He requested both the leaders to consider the difficulties currently faced by the government and on the other hand, he also urged the government to consider the demands of the protesting parties as they reflected the peoples’ state of mind.

Altaf Hussain further asked the government, its allies and protesting parties to refrain from making controversial statements against the army and intelligence agencies during their address from the joint session of parliament. He said that such baseless allegations not only harm the sanctity of the state institutions but anti-state elements take advantage of such claims.

It may be mentioned that both Imran Khan and Dr Tahirul Qadri have ended negotiations with the government, following a crackdown during which hundreds of PTI and PAT activists were arrested by the police.

The sit-ins by the two parties in Islamabad have entered the second month, with both the leaders Qadri and Imran adamant on continuing their movement until Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif resigns.

The government, however, said the demand of PM’s resignations is non-negotiable.