\u201cIf their [PTI] founder is facing troubles [in jail], then I reiterate: come, let\u2019s sit down and talk,\u201d says PM
\nISLAMABAD
\nPrime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday extended an olive branch to his political rival Imran Khan, offering him to sit and talk if he has any issues. \u201cIf their [PTI] founder is facing troubles [in jail], then I reiterate: come, let\u2019s sit down and talk,\u201d said the premier while speaking in National Assembly.
\nThe premier said that there was a time in this house when politicians would severely criticise one another, but they would also stand with their rivals during times of happiness and sorrow.
\nThe Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have been at loggerheads for years, particularly after the February 8 elections, which Imran\u2019s party claims it had won.
\nSpeaking about the 2018 elections, the prime minister said: \u201cWe joined the parliament despite the [rigged] polls. The sort of slogans that were raised during my first speech will always be remembered as a dark chapter in the history books.\u201d \u201cIf someone is facing any injustice, then I believe that the scales of justice should be in favour of those [being victimised], there is no difference over it \u2014 whether it be any politician or anyone from any walk of life.\u201d
\nThe PM lamented that he had once again, while he was in the opposition, proposed Imran to sit on the talking table but such slogans were raised again. \u201cSo who is responsible for this bitterness [between politicians]. We don\u2019t even shake hands now,\u201d he expressed. He also mentioned how Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah were treated during their time in jail.
\nPTI to talk once Imran, others are out of jail: Ayub
\nIn response to the prime minister\u2019s comments, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub reiterated that the PTI would talk with the \u201cForm-47\u201d government once its founder and other incarcerated workers and leaders were out of jail.
\n\u201cThis should be in your minds: you torture our workers, you\u2019ve kept our lady workers in prison vans at 45\u00b0C. My prime minister Imran Khan was kept in a death cell, there\u2019s an oven-like environment over there,\u201d he said, amid sloganeering from the treasury benches.
\nWhile there was a ruckus, Ayub said that the house\u2019s proceedings could only continue if the government members respected their opposition colleagues.To the premier\u2019s request for talks, he said: \u201cReconciliation will take place when you realise the abuse of Yasmin Rashid, Mehmood ur Rasheed, and Hasan Niazi.\u201d
\nAs the premier said that he faced the worst conditions, Ayub claimed that when former premier Nawaz Sharif was in prison, he had air conditioners installed in his jail cell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cIf their [PTI] founder is facing troubles [in jail], then I reiterate: come, let\u2019s sit down and talk,\u201d says PM ISLAMABAD Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday extended an olive branch to his political rival Imran Khan, offering him to sit and talk if he has any issues. \u201cIf their [PTI] founder is facing troubles […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":414728,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-414706","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n