Daily Times

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Asad Qaiser has said that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders Maryam Nawaz and Khawaja Asif’s hard-hitting statements are aimed at sabotaging negotiation process between the government and the Imran Khan’s opposition party.

In a video statement posted on his official X handle on Saturday, the former NA speaker said Punjab Chief Minister Maryam and Defence Minister Asif were trying their best to make the negotiation process unsuccessful.

He said jailed PTI founder was being blamed for attempting to derail the talks through his critical X statements.

“We are an oppressed party. We were persecuted..bullets were fired on our people,” he said lamenting that the embattled party was being blamed for attempting to harm talks despite being at the receiving end of the “high-handedness”.

Qaiser said that the government had promised to arrange a meeting with the PTI founder, however, it was making different excuses.

Vowing that the former ruling party would stand firmly on its stance, the former National Assembly speaker said that the PTI wants rule of Constitution, independent judiciary, civil supremacy and a strong parliament in the country.

“We have a commitment regarding the dialogue, therefore, we are talking confidently,” he added.

He lamented the PML-N leaders’ statement despite his party engaging in talks for the sake of the country.

Qaiser was referring to Maryam’s tirade against the incarcerated PTI founder a few days ago, saying that the difficulties being faced by the former prime minister were the result of “his own doings”.

Urging the students not to go against the country “under any circumstances”, she said that someone “who asks you to siege and arson is not your friend”.

Similarly, Asif slammed the opposition party after his founder’s post on X to warn the government for discontinuing the negotiation process after the third meeting if it continues to remain non-serious and fails to form a judicial commission on May 9 and November 26 incidents.

The defence czar said that dialogue process would be meaningless after the PTI founder’s recent message on social media.

A war of words continues between the government and the opposition despite the two sides entered a negotiation process after months of a political tug-of-war.

Both sides held two negotiation sessions on December 27, 2024 and on January 2, 2025.