CMYK
Thursday, 17 October, 2019 I 17 Safar-ul-Muzaffar, 1441 I Rs 17.00 I Vol X No 107 I 16 Pages I Karachi Edition
GovT proposes, Fazl disposes Talks oFFer g
ForeIGn MInIster QureshI says khattakleD coMMIttee ForMeD to lIsten to juI-F chIeF’s ‘reasonable DeManDs’
ISLAMABAD
T
staff report
he Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on Wednesday decided to engage with Maulana Fazlur Rehman in response to the Jamiat Ulema-e-IslamFazl (JUI-F) chief’s declaration to march on Islamabad on October 31, however the latter has turned down the offer “till a resignation is handed in”. Addressing reporters after a meeting of the PTI core committee chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that a small political committee has been formed under Defence Minister Pervez Khattak “to get in touch with Maulana Fazlur Rehman”. “We are a political party and are fully capable and willing to deliver a political solution to political matters,” said Qureshi. The foreign minister said that if anything the JUI-F chief says during the resultant talks “has political weight, we are ready to listen to it and if a reasonable solution emerges, we will accord that priority”. “It is not that we have any fear, I must lay
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Maulana Fazl rejects any PossIbIlIty oF talks ‘beFore a resIGnatIon Is hanDeD In’
stress on this. “If someone thinks that with a dharna, governments can be sent packing then we have a 126day experience in this […] we are not novices in the matter,” said Qureshi, with a slight smile. he reiterated that a political solution to the conflict must be sought, explaining that Pakistan is now fighting for the Kashmir cause on international fora and a unified stance must be presented in that regard. “October 27 is that despicable day on which Indian forces landed in Srinagar and captured Kashmir,” he said, pausing to lay emphasis on the word to highlight the solemnity that must be accorded to the day. he said that the government’s Kashmir Cell had therefore decided to observe the day with due respect and in solidarity with Kashmiris. “So we have to see whether we harm this larger purpose in pursuit of a narrower, local agenda,” he said. Qureshi said that the other consideration is that the government had just surmounted a great economic challenge over the past 13 months and brought Pakistan back to stability. “When our government took over the helm of affairs, all the macroeconomic indicators were
painting a very dire picture, whether it is the fiscal deficit, the current account deficit, the trade deficit, the investment levels, the unemployment figures, exports, imports, or debt servicing capabilities. “So just now we have begun to witness an economic turnaround, and at this time if there is even a hint of instability, it will adversely affect our economy,” explained the foreign minister. he said that keeping the aforementioned factors in view, the government had decided in favour of political engagement. “Let’s see what response we get.” FAZL TURNS DOWN OFFER: Meanwhile, the JUI-F chief has rejected the government’s peace overture. In a press conference in another part of the federal capital, Maulana Fazl outright rejected any possibility of talks with the government “before a resignation is handed in”. “We have no knowledge of such a committee and neither have we been contacted,” he said. “Before any talks take place, a resignation is mandatory, so that the situation post-resignation can be debated,” said the JUI-F chief. “No negotiation can take place on the condition of a resignation.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 02
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