Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, has firmly denied reports of a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser, stating that no formal discussions have taken place between the government and the former ruling party.
During an appearance on Geo News’ Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath on Wednesday, Tarar clarified that the prime minister did not meet with Qaiser or National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq at Sadiq’s residence. He dismissed speculation about possible backchannel talks aimed at easing political tensions following PTI’s recent civil disobedience threat.
Earlier reports suggested an “icebreaker” meeting took place at Speaker House in Islamabad between Ayaz Sadiq and PTI leaders Asad Qaiser, Omar Ayub, and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza. This meeting followed a phone call between Sadiq and Qaiser and was seen as a potential step towards opening dialogue between PTI and the government.
Despite these developments, Tarar emphasized that any exchanges so far have been informal, and the government has not officially opened communication or negotiation channels with PTI. He stated that for dialogue to occur, the PTI must first apologize for the events of May 9 and November 26.
Tarar also criticized the PTI for creating false narratives to harm the state’s reputation, questioning how anyone could trust the party or its commitments. He accused PTI of using provincial resources to challenge the federal government.
His comments came in the wake of PTI’s announcement of a “do-or-die” march on November 24, during which the party was blocked from assembling at Islamabad’s D-Chowk. Tarar claimed that the government has evidence of PTI’s actions during that period.
