Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that he was willing to talk with political rival PTI for “sake of national interest”. Addressing launch ceremony of ‘Youth Development Initiatives’ here he said, “You didn’t shake [my] hand for four years and now you’re saying to ‘come to talk with us’? Till when will this two-facedness continue? But, we will be ready for it for sake of national interest.”

Declining to give any details, PM said he was ready to give “any sacrifice” for keeping national interest as primary concern. Recently, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry told that negotiations were being held with government over issue of elections. “President Sahib is holding talks,” he said while replying to a question that at what level talks were being held between two sides. It has already been reported in media that President Arif Alvi was making backchannel efforts to defuse current political tension.

Chaudhry added that PTI was ready to hold formal dialogue with government if it agreed to hold snap elections. “If government is willing to hold early elections, we can sit with them,” he said. As part of “Youth Development Initiatives”, Prime Minister said government would provide 20,000 internships to young engineers and 75 scholarships to students for top universities.

Published in The Daily National Courier, October, 21 2022

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