National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Friday said no invitation had been extended to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for talks, adding that he had stopped discussing the possibility of dialogue.
Speaking to reporters at Parliament House, Sadiq said his recent meeting with PTI leader Aamir Dogar focused solely on matters related to the National Assembly.
"If there was any discussion between Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Aamir Dogar regarding talks, I am not aware of it," he said.
Govt says dialogue remains the only solution
Ayaz Sadiq said he had repeatedly urged the opposition to engage in dialogue and recalled that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also invited the opposition to hold talks through the parliamentary forum.
"The solution to every problem is to sit together and talk," he said.
Responding to a question, the speaker said opposition leaders were welcome to use the committee room for discussions if they wished to hold negotiations.
"If there is a need for talks, I will vacate the chamber, but the opposition leaders do not want to hold talks," he remarked.
Background
The remarks come a day after the federal government renewed its invitation to PTI for political dialogue during a meeting between Ayaz Sadiq, PTI leader Aamir Dogar and Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry.
Following the meeting, Tariq Fazal said the government was ready to hold negotiations at a venue proposed by PTI within Parliament House, adding that "the ball is now in PTI's court."
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, however, said the government must demonstrate genuine commitment before negotiations could begin.
He said it remained unclear who would participate in the talks, what agenda would be discussed and when the negotiations would take place, adding that PTI was not interested in symbolic meetings or photo opportunities but expected sincere and practical steps from the government.
