ISLAMABAD (The COW News Digiatl) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has renewed the federal government’s offer of dialogue to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), urging the opposition party to end its protest march and sit-ins before negotiations can resume.
Addressing an event in Islamabad, the prime minister said the government’s doors remained open for political dialogue but stressed that talks could only move forward if the ongoing protest campaign was called off. His remarks came as the PTI continued its march towards the federal capital following the breakdown of recent negotiations between the government and opposition.
Shehbaz said the government had made significant efforts over the past two and a half years to stabilise the country’s economy. He described the achievement of macroeconomic stability as the result of sustained work and teamwork, stressing that maintaining economic progress was essential for the country.
The prime minister warned that continued protests, road blockades and sit-ins could affect economic activity at a time when Pakistan was seeking to consolidate recent gains. He specifically pointed to potential disruption to exports, imports and the manufacturing sector.
“Protest politics” would directly affect the economy, the prime minister said, while urging the opposition to reconsider its course of action and avoid measures that could damage Pakistan’s international reputation.
His comments came after recent government-PTI talks failed to resolve several contentious issues. The two sides had held negotiations over the proposed PTI march, but the discussions ended without an agreement. The government had sought cancellation of the protest, while PTI maintained demands including access to its jailed founder, Imran Khan.
PTI leaders have maintained that meaningful reconciliation would require the involvement of Imran Khan. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said the party could not proceed with reconciliation without the former prime minister’s participation or input.
The political standoff has intensified as the PTI-led march, originating from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, continues towards Islamabad. The convoy reached Kohat on Monday before moving towards Peshawar, with PTI leaders maintaining that their mobilisation would continue.
The federal government, meanwhile, has warned that gatherings in Islamabad will not be permitted and has increased security measures along routes leading towards the capital. The political uncertainty has also begun to affect business sentiment. Pakistan’s benchmark stock index fell sharply on Monday amid renewed concerns over political instability, with the KSE-100 index losing more than 2,200 points during the session.
The government has continued to emphasise dialogue as the preferred means of resolving political disputes. Federal officials have said that the government remains prepared to engage with political forces, while PTI has argued that previous negotiations failed because of disagreements over the inclusion of Imran Khan and the approach to counterterrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
With the PTI march continuing and the government insisting that protests must end before talks can resume, the coming days are likely to remain politically significant. The two sides now face the challenge of finding a pathway back to negotiations while managing the economic and security concerns surrounding the ongoing confrontation.
