LAHORE: Federal Defence Minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Khawaja Asif on Saturday opposed any negotiations with the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), elaborating he was not in favour of engaging in talks with PTI.
PML-N leader Kh Asif made the remarks while speaking to reporters after attending a key advisory meeting of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) held under the chairmanship of Nawaz Sharif at the party secretariat in Model Town.
When asked whether he was in the committee for dialogue with PTI through Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and head of opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Aeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Kh Asif categorically denied, saying that he was not part of any such committee.
Responding to media queries after the meeting, Asif stated, “I am not in favour of talks with PTI.”
He further clarified that he is not part of any team involved in negotiations with PTI through Mahmood Achakzai.
Responding to a question about the future of PTI founder Imran Khan, Asif said that he was not a soothsayer who could predict the future of anyone.
Recent media reports suggest that the Pakistan Muslim League (N) has been in contact with Mahmood Khan Achakzai to explore indirect negotiations with PTI, with the party leadership assigning Rana Sanaullah, the Prime Minister’s advisor on political affairs, to engage with Achakzai for this purpose.
Achakzai, representing PkMAP, was elected in April as head of an alliance—the Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain—also comprising the PTI, the SIC, the MWM, and the BNP-M. The PTI had later announced expanding the alliance to include all opposition parties.
However, Kh Asif distanced himself from these efforts, reiterating his opposition to such negotiations.
