Govt reaches out to PTI for talks as Pak holds breath for new army chief

Islamabad [Pakistan], November 20 : The coalition government in Pakistan has initiated dialogue with Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), The Express Tribune newspaper reported citing sources.
The report said that this move follows the meeting between Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and President Arif Alvi on Friday.
Dar offered dialogue to resolve political issues, the sources said. Meanwhile, the Pakistan President, a member of PTI, told him his message would be conveyed to the party leadership which has shown a willingness to hold talks.
Dar held two meetings with the president in the last three days.
"The PTI wants the announcement of date for the early general elections. If the government agrees, then the PTI is willing to rejoin parliament for a dialogue on the electoral framework," the Tribune newspaper quoted the sources as saying.
According to the report, the purpose of the meeting between the finance minister and the president was to ensure that the process regarding the appointment of a new army chief would culminate smoothly.
Ahead of the deadline for installing a new army chief, the political standoff between the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Imran Khan has polarized the country and threatened to erupt in violence.
"The battlelines are sharply drawn now, making the situation untenable," Maleeha Lodhi, a former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, wrote in an op-ed this week, as quoted by The Washington Post.
According to Lodhi, the former Pakistan Prime Minster is making matters worse by "hurling allegations" at the army but also privately seeking its support.
The looming fear is that the situation will "snowball into civil strife," Lodhi was quoted as saying by The Washington Post.