Achakzai open to talks but rejects PM House meeting

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai has said he remains open to talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif but would not hold such a meeting at the Prime Minister’s House, the Prime Minister’s Office or the speaker’s chamber.

Speaking to reporters at Parliament House on Thursday, Achakzai said he was willing to meet anywhere in Pakistan, including at the residence of another political leader. He said he would also prefer consultations with PTI founder Imran Khan before meeting the prime minister.

His remarks came after Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said the government had been holding informal consultations with PTI leaders over the party’s planned October 4 protest. Sanaullah said discussions were taking place with senior PTI figures, while the government had also made preparations to deal with the planned march.

The political situation has become increasingly tense ahead of the PTI’s Islamabad-bound march, which was rescheduled from September 27 to October 4. The party says the protest is linked to demands including the release of Imran Khan and what it describes as constitutional supremacy. The opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP), headed by Achakzai, has said it will participate in the October 4 protest.

Achakzai and other opposition leaders also met in the Senate opposition leader’s chamber on Thursday. The meeting was attended by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser and other opposition figures.

The leaders discussed the country’s political situation, the planned march, and constitutional and parliamentary matters.

Meanwhile, Sanaullah said the possibility of governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained under consideration. He said the federal government was consulting its coalition partners on the matter and maintained that any such step would have to follow the constitutional and parliamentary process.

Sanaullah also accused the PTI-led KP government of failing to adequately address governance and security issues. These allegations have been rejected by PTI and its provincial leadership.

The federal government’s position comes as tensions continue between Islamabad and the PTI-led KP administration over the planned march and the security situation in the province. On Thursday, reports indicated that the government was not immediately moving to impose emergency or governor’s rule in KP and was allowing further political consultations to continue.