"Negotiations can't be held at gunpoint": Pak Defence Min rules out negotiations amid PTI's protests
Dec 18, 2024
Islamabad [Pakistan], December 18 : Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif ruled out negotiations with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf under the current circumstances, saying that calls for civil disobedience and attacks on Islamabad cannot be tolerated, ARY News reported.
"Negotiations cannot be held at gunpoint," Khawaja Asif said while speaking in the National Assembly session on Tuesday.
Asif highlighted the ongoing losses to the country and its people due to political turmoil. Referring to the situation in Parachinar, he said, "Incidents like these are also contributing factors."
Asif criticized the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's PTI government, saying, "How can such a major incident occur in your province, and you remain inactive? I was told by Mahmood Khan that the issue in Parachinar started as a land dispute, but it escalated into sectarian violence, resulting in significant loss of lives."
Asif said that maintaining law and order is the responsibility of the provincial government, as per the Pakistani Constitution.
"While Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's government remained fixated on Islamabad, they ignored Parachinar," ARY News quoted him as saying.
Addressing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership, Khawaja Asif stated, "You have every right to protest in Islamabad, but kindly also pay attention to your province."
Asif urged for moderation in the tone of the political discourse of PTI. "If you speak positively, I will respond positively. Hostility only invites hostility."
Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan threatened to call for halting remittances if his demands remain unmet, ARY News reported citing a statement by his sister, Aleema Khan.
Imran Khan's sister spoke to the media outside Adiala Jail, stating that the founder reiterated his stance that a judicial commission comprising three Supreme Court judges must be formed, and innocent prisoners should be released.
Aleema Khan quoted Imran Khan, saying that if these two demands were not met, he would soon call for "stopping remittances to Pakistan."
