TTAP signals willingness to engage govt in talks on constitutional protection

The Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan (TTAP) has decided to respond positively to the government’s offer for talks on constitutional protection, sources within the opposition alliance told The Express Tribune following a consultative meeting held in Islamabad a day earlier.

The meeting was attended by senior opposition leaders, including Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas. Other participants included Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Asad Qaiser, Ikhwanzada Hussain Yousafzai and Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry, sources said.

During the session, members deliberated on the government’s negotiation offer and reviewed statements made by Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah. The central leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) advised alliance leaders to initiate contact with the government, sources added.

Following the meeting, Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas were authorised to advance the negotiation process. The alliance leadership plans to hold discussions with key government figures during Ramazan.

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PTI leader Junaid Akbar expressed conditional support for the talks, saying: “We are political actors and believe in the negotiation process. We want to resolve issues through compromise and dialogue… but the government must also correct its approach.”

Another senior leader, Atif Khan, confirmed progress, stating: “The opposition alliance session included all member parties. Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Nasir Abbas have been entrusted with the negotiations. We will formally respond to the government and inform the public that our position has been communicated. We support dialogue for Pakistan and the Constitution.”

The government had extended a fresh olive branch to the opposition. The offer came from Sanaullah in response to a speech in the Senate by opposition leader, who had demanded the formation of a parliamentary committee to meet the incarcerated former prime minister, Ian Khan, and examine his health condition.

“Let us sit together to strengthen and take forward the charter of democracy,” Sanaullah said last week, adding that the government was ready for dialogue to strengthen democracy and avoid confrontation and deadlock. “We are ready to sit with you for the betterment of the country,” he asserted, maintaining that parties in the current ruling coalition had stressed the need for talks even when the PTI was in power.

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Meanwhile on Thursday, the TTAP leadership expressed grave concern over a recent surge in terrorist attacks across the country and urged the government to formulate a comprehensive national strategy on terrorism.

At a meeting of the alliance’s central committee held at the residence of Khokhar during an iftar gathering in Islamabad, participants voiced concern over escalating attacks, particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Participants urged the federal government to formulate a comprehensive national counterterrorism strategy in consultation with provincial governments, political stakeholders and the public.

The opposition also voiced alarm over what it described as a worsening dispute with Afghanistan and called on both countries to avoid further confrontation. It urged the initiation of “serious, sincere and meaningful negotiations” to address the issue of terrorism, suggesting engagement with neighbouring countries as well as friendly governments such as Saudi Arabia and Türkiye to prevent further bloodshed and external interference in Pakistan and the wider region.

The alliance demanded that former prime minister Ian Khan be immediately shifted to Shifa International Hospital for specialised medical treatment and be allowed access to his personal physicians. It called for an end to restrictions on his access to lawyers and family members, describing him as “unjustly imprisoned” and demanding his release.

TTAP condemned what it termed the government’s continued “unlawful secrecy” regarding Ian Khan’s health and medical treatment. It reiterated that he should be examined by his personal doctors, Dr Faisal Sultan and Dr Asim Yousaf.

Opposition leaders expressed concern over the alleged withholding of medical reports and test results from his family, warning that any criminal negligence regarding his health could aggravate the country’s political crisis.

They also raised concerns over the health of detained Sunni Ittehad Council Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza and demanded the release of all political prisoners, including Khan, Bushra Bibi, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Ejaz Chaudhry, Ali Wazir and Mahrang Baloch.

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The alliance criticised the government over deteriorating economic conditions, attributing them to what it described as incompetence. Citing recently released figures, opposition leaders claimed that poverty had risen to 29 per cent and unemployment had reached a 21-year high.

They said that despite official claims of major economic agreements, both foreign and domestic investment had declined sharply. According to the opposition, the reported exit of hundreds of multinational companies from the Pakistani market in recent months reflected a worsening risk profile.

The leaders also criticised the reported purchase of Gulfstream jet aircraft worth billions from the public treasury, alleging that the move, coupled with what they termed misleading justifications, had added to public grievances.

They maintained that as long as questions persisted regarding the government’s popularity and legal legitimacy, and as long as it continued to undermine the judicial system and rule of law, prospects for investment and economic recovery would remain limited.

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The opposition announced that in the coming months it would present an alternative budget and policy proposals, prepared with the assistance of experts, aimed at offering solutions to the country’s economic and legal crises.

The TTAP leadership also expressed concern over escalating regional tensions, alleging that the United States and Israel were seeking to encircle Iran and justify military action against it. Leaders pointed to what they described as large-scale US naval and military preparations in the Middle East.

They warned that any possible US attack on Iran could lead to regional devastation and urged the government to play a diplomatic role in preventing such an outcome.

The opposition further criticised the government’s reported decision to join US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace”, warning that participation by Pakistan and other Muslim countries could strengthen Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and contribute to the prospect of war against Iran.

According to the alliance, the proposed “Board of Peace” was being positioned as a non-representative alternative to the United Nations, and the exclusion of Palestinians from it revealed its underlying intentions. It asserted that Pakistan should not be part of any such initiative.