NA speaker says office open 24 hours, ‘ready to play role in govt, PTI talks’

National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said Wednesday he was “ready to play his role” in facilitating talks between the government and the opposition.

“I want to say that the speaker’s office and the speaker’s house is open 24 hours if the opposition and government want to come and have a dialogue together to end the bitterness,” Sadiq said in a video message shared by his office on X.

He further said that the speaker’s office was open for improvements for the country, the law and order situation, climate issues or provincial autonomy, and numerous other matters on which we need to sit and have conversations.

“Until I am speaker, I will not let there be any deficit,” he added, reiterating that his house belongs to members of both the treasury and opposition.

His statement comes tensions escalated following PTI’s last protest which ended in violence. Subsequently, jailed PTI leader Imran Khan formed a committee to hold negotiations with the government.

On Tuesday, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah, who serves as the adviser to the prime minister on political matters, invited PTI to formally engage in talks with the government.

Speaking in the National Assembly, Sanaullah recalled the olive branch extended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to incarcerated Imran for initiating talks.

Sanaullah said that in parliamentary democratic system, it is essential for the opposition leader and the leader of the house to engage in talks, adding without such communication, the system cannot function effectively.

He maintained that “both wheels need to turn for the car to move forward”.

Moreover, Imran’s sister Aleema Khan, while quoting her brother, said he would call overseas Pakistanis to halt remittances if the government failed to fulfil his two demands related to the release of his party’s workers and a judicial probe into May 9 and November 26 incidents.

“If the government fails to fulfil our two demands, then he will make a call to overseas Pakistanis to stop sending remittances to the country,” she said, quoting Imran.