Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah said on Wednesday that the federal government was ready to hold talks with the opposition on all matters but termed incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan a hurdle in resolve political disputes.
Sanaullah’s statement came after a meeting between the government and the opposition lawmakers to discuss the federal budget.
Speaking to Geo News, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader said that the government was ready to hold dialogue with the opposition on all political matters but it is not engaging due to the stance of incarcerated PTI founder.
He said that PM Shehbaz Sharif extended a clear invitation to the opposition on the floor of the House, besides offering the opposition lawmakers a meeting at the National Assembly speaker’s chamber.
Commenting on the meeting’s agenda, Sanaullah said that they discussed the matters with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lawmakers related to the imposition of GST in erstwhile Fata/Pata.
He added that the decision to impose GST in the tribal areas was put off for a year and a committee held discussions in meetings on the matter.
The premier’s aide said that tax exemptions and other incentives were retained in the past as per decisions taken in the meetings, however, the chamber of commerce and industries expressed reservations.
Sources privy to the development told Geo News that the government and opposition lawmakers held discussions on budget-related matters at the Parliament House, particularly ex-Fata/Pata issues.
They added that Sanaullah and Amir Muqam represented the government side while Asad Qaiser and Junaid Akbar were part of the PTI delegation that took part in the consultation process.
The meeting was also attended by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman, ex-Fata/Pata and KP lawmakers.
The PM’s adviser assured the PTI delegation of addressing the issues by the federal government, the sources said.
Steel, edible oil and ghee industries are deeply concerned over reports of government intention to withdraw/reverse the budgetary amendment/measures of gradual phasing out of ex-Fata/Pata tax exemptions in the final Finance Act 2024-25.
The sector representatives say that under political pressure, the government seems to be all set to withdraw/reverse the fata/pata-related amendments that were announced in the Finance Bill.
The steel, edible oil and ghee industries will go on indefinite strike against this move which is aimed to support rent seekers at the cost of entire industry, the report stated.
Responding to a question about Aleema Khan’s “minus Imran Khan” remarks, Sanaullah said: “In my political experience, no one can be eliminated from politics by force, however, people [politicians] get sidelined due to their undemocratic behaviour.”
A day ago, Aleema, the sister of incarcerated former prime minister, reacted to the claims that her brother was no longer relevant in the country’s politics as the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly passed the provincial budget for the fiscal year 2025–26.
Speaking to the media outside Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, Aleema said: “I think, minus Imran Khan has happened”, and expressed displeasure over the approval of KP’s budget without the nod of the PTI founder.
Emphasising the need for talks, Sanaullah said that the political temperature could be brought down by holding talks and lamented that the PTI was not holding negotiations due to Imran Khan’s stance.
Sanaullah further said that political issues could be resolved if ex-PM Khan sat down with politicians.
