Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Thursday lashed out at former prime minister Imran Khan over his reluctance to engage in negotiations with political leaders, urging him to call Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directly and engage in productive discussion if he truly desires talks instead of focusing on forming committees. Amid crackdown on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders and workers following the May 9 riots, Imran Khan -who had previously on many occasions refused to engage in talks with Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) – appealed for “immediate talks” with state officials. However, pressure increased on the former premier amid a crackdown on his top aides and supporters that saw thousands arrested as well as dozens leaving his party. “I would like to appeal for talks, because what is currently happening is not a solution,” Khan said in a live talk streamed on YouTube, warning that the country was headed towards anarchy. The political unrest worsened as the country faced its worst economic crisis in decades. Inflation was at record highs, economic growth was anemic, and there were fears that the country could default on external debts unless the International Monetary Fund (IMF) unlocked delayed disbursements. “Imran Khan is still not prepared to talk to politicians and is only creating committees. If he really wants negotiations, he should call the prime minister and sit down for a conversation,” Sanaullah said during an interview. The interior minister said that the government did not take the committee formed by Imran Khan seriously because the matter has progressed far beyond that. He said that during the attack on the Jinnah House, the miscreants took away laptops and other important items containing sensitive information, adding that the military would recover these items and the Army Act has been applied to the cases for this very reason.