Coalition govt tasks Ayaz, Saad Rafique to reach out to PTI for talks

Islamabad: In a major development, the coalition government made an attempt to reach out to  Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for talks on the election date, the sources privy to the development said on Friday.

The government tasked senior ministers Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Khawaja Saad Rafique to make contacts with the PTI, so the issue of election date could be solved.

The development took place a day after the top court directed the coalition government and the opposition to sit together and deliberate on the election date.

The sources said that both ministers contacted former Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser for dialogue. Qaiser, they said, updated the party’s top brass about the government’s move. 

Earlier, the coalition partners  rejected the orders of the court regarding dialogue with the political rivals, especially the PTI. JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PML-N Chief Organizer Maryam Nawaz and Bilawal Bhutto said they would not accept  any “dictation” regarding elections in Punjab.

Jamat-e-Islami Chief Sirajul Haq are making efforts to convince Maulana Fazlur Rehman, saying that he is hopeful that he will accept his offer for talks.