Rana Sanaullah says protests should be held outside Islamabad

Speaking to a private television channel, Rana Sanaullah said if Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) wanted to protest over its demands, it could do so in Peshawar or Mardan. He added that anyone with an issue could stage a protest in Peshawar, Karachi or Lahore.

He said the military and political leadership had decided that sit-ins and long marches should remain away from Islamabad. Rana Sanaullah said it could not be claimed that the establishment was unhappy with negotiations, adding that the establishment had no direct concern with the talks.

He said since the president and prime minister had sent representatives for negotiations, the establishment would have been taken on board. He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister did not attend meetings and advised him to approach the federal government if he had any point of view.

He added that the opposition had also been asked not to move towards the long march. Rana Sanaullah said the options of governor’s rule and emergency were available for one reason or another. He questioned what option would remain for the federal government if security was at stake in a province and the provincial government failed to cooperate.

He said imposing emergency or governor’s rule was an undesirable step and would only be taken if circumstances became unavoidable. He added that the government was not concerned about whether anyone left, stayed or returned.

It may be recalled that government and opposition delegations held talks in the National Assembly speaker’s chamber to resolve political issues through dialogue. However, the two sides could not reach a conclusion on the first day and agreed to resume negotiations today.