PM Shehbaz renews talks offer to PTI, urges end to long march

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday once again invited Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to hold talks with the government, urging the opposition party to end its long march and sit-ins to create an environment for negotiations.

Addressing the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kashmir Chowk Underpass in Islamabad, the prime minister said the government was ready to sit with the PTI if it called off its ongoing protest campaign.

Shehbaz said the government had already made efforts to open a dialogue with the opposition after consultations. Representatives from both sides held two days of talks in the chamber of National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, but the discussions failed to produce an agreement.

The prime minister said there had been hopes that the negotiations would reach a positive outcome. However, he claimed that the opposition made additional demands at the final stage that prevented the talks from moving forward.

His remarks came as a PTI-led convoy continued its journey towards Islamabad. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi is leading the procession, which began on Sunday. The party is demanding the release of its founder Imran Khan and raising a number of political and constitutional issues.

The convoy reached Kohat after passing through Lakki Marwat and Karak and is expected to move towards Peshawar as the PTI continues its phased mobilisation towards the federal capital.

Shehbaz warned that prolonged protests and sit-ins could negatively affect economic activity. He said disruptions to workers, engineers and businesses would ultimately cause losses to the country rather than to any individual political group.

The prime minister said the government had spent about 18 months working to stabilise the national economy and claimed that macroeconomic stability had now been achieved. He said the focus should shift towards economic growth, development and increased production.

He pointed to improvements in exports, information technology exports, remittances and domestic production as signs of progress. Shehbaz also said Pakistan’s international standing had improved and urged political forces not to undermine the country’s economic gains.

The prime minister said the government would continue to protect public life and property and would ensure that the law was followed. At the same time, he repeated his invitation to the PTI to end the march and sit-ins and return to negotiations.

Earlier, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the government was accelerating infrastructure and beautification projects in Islamabad ahead of the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conference.

Naqvi said the Kashmir Chowk Underpass was among several projects aimed at improving traffic flow and facilities in the capital. He said the underpass and work on the Islamabad Expressway were expected to significantly reduce travel time between Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

The minister also outlined plans to make Islamabad plastic-free and cashless, with December 31 set as a target for the initiatives. He said State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry was overseeing the implementation of both projects.

Naqvi further announced plans to expand the capital’s recreational and green spaces. He said authorities were working to upgrade F-9 Park and develop a large safari park spread over around 450 acres. Another major park is also planned.

According to the minister, Islamabad’s population has grown substantially over the past two decades while development work has not kept pace. He said improving infrastructure was therefore a major priority and expressed hope that the projects would benefit residents for many years.

The government is also working on digitising land records in Islamabad, with the minister setting December 31 as the target for completion.