ISLAMABAD: A joint delegation of the Pakistan Peoples Party and the government will meet leaders of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Friday, according to identical statements issued by the PPP and the Presidency.
The decision followed a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad.
The statements said the "current political situation" would be discussed with the opposition. They added that Zardari and Sharif reviewed the national security situation and stressed the need for effective cooperation among relevant institutions to ensure peace and stability.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan confirmed that representatives of the opposition and the government would meet Friday. A post on his X account said he had received a message from the government a day earlier requesting a meeting, which he accepted after an opposition huddle.
"God willing, a meeting will take place between the opposition and government delegations in the office of National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq tomorrow at 12pm," the post said.
According to the PPP statement, the government side will include Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Rana Sanaullah, the prime minister's adviser on political affairs, PPP Sen. Sherry Rehman, and PPP lawmakers Naveed Qamar and Aijaz Jakhrani.
On the opposition side, Akhundzada Yousafzai, spokesman for the opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan, confirmed he would attend, along with Senate opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and former Sen. Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar.
However, National Assembly opposition leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai, who also chairs the alliance, has ruled out attending any meeting in the speaker's chamber. A senior alliance leader told Dawn that Abbas was also reluctant to go to the speaker's chamber but agreed at PTI's request.
The alliance's decision came after a meeting with PTI leaders in the Senate opposition leader's chamber. A statement from the alliance said participants discussed the overall political situation, PTI's planned protest march and other constitutional and parliamentary matters.
The prospect of talks is seen as a way to defuse the political crisis, with PTI's planned Oct. 4 march demanding the release of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan emerging as the latest flashpoint between the party and the federal government.
PTI has said it will proceed with the march. Federal ministers have warned the government may have no choice but to impose governor's rule or an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where PTI governs, citing the province's security situation and the protest call. PTI has cautioned of dire consequences if such a step is taken.
The opposition alliance, which is headed by Achakzai and includes PTI, has announced it will join the protest.
