Islamabad, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday extended an olive branch to his predecessor and political rival Imran Khan, offering to hold talks with him if he faced "problems" in jail.
Khan, founder of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, has been in prison since August last year after being convicted in some of the nearly 200 cases brought against the 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician since his ouster. power. in April 2022.
"If [his] founder faces problems [in jail], then I repeat: come, let's sit and talk," Sharif said while addressing the National Assembly.
“Let's sit together to move the country forward. Let's talk for the improvement of the country. There is no other way forward,” he stated.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), led by Nawaz Sharif, and Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf ( ) have been at odds for years, particularly after the February 8 elections, which the party de Khan claims to have won.
Commenting on the 2018 elections won by Khan, Sharif said: "We joined Parliament despite the [rigged] polls. The kind of slogans that were raised during my first speech will always be remembered as a dark chapter in the history books. ".
"If someone faces any injustice, then I think the scales of justice should be in favor of those [who are victims], there is no difference about it, whether it is a politician or anyone from any walk of life," Geo News quoted Sharif saying.
Sharif regretted having once again proposed, while he was in the opposition, that Khan sit for a dialogue, but such slogans were raised again.
"So who is responsible for this bitterness [between politicians? Now we don't even shake hands," he said.
Sharif, 72, also recounted his ordeal of facing victimization by the Khan government and that he was in jail when his mother died.
He said that despite being a cancer survivor and having a spinal problem, they used to take him to court in the regular prison van just to exacerbate his condition, but he never complained.
Responding to Prime Minister Sharif's comments, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub reiterated that they would talk to the government only when Khan and other imprisoned leaders and workers are released from jail.
"This should be in your minds: you torture our workers, you keep our workers in prison vans at 45°C. My Prime Minister Imran Khan was kept in a death cell, there is an oven-like environment there." he said, amidst slogans from the treasury benches.
Khan, founder of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, has been in prison since August last year after being convicted in some of the nearly 200 cases brought against the 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician since his ouster. power. in April 2022.
"If [his] founder faces problems [in jail], then I repeat: come, let's sit and talk," Sharif said while addressing the National Assembly.
“Let's sit together to move the country forward. Let's talk for the improvement of the country. There is no other way forward,” he stated.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), led by Nawaz Sharif, and Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf ( ) have been at odds for years, particularly after the February 8 elections, which the party de Khan claims to have won.
Commenting on the 2018 elections won by Khan, Sharif said: "We joined Parliament despite the [rigged] polls. The kind of slogans that were raised during my first speech will always be remembered as a dark chapter in the history books. ".
"If someone faces any injustice, then I think the scales of justice should be in favor of those [who are victims], there is no difference about it, whether it is a politician or anyone from any walk of life," Geo News quoted Sharif saying.
Sharif regretted having once again proposed, while he was in the opposition, that Khan sit for a dialogue, but such slogans were raised again.
"So who is responsible for this bitterness [between politicians? Now we don't even shake hands," he said.
Sharif, 72, also recounted his ordeal of facing victimization by the Khan government and that he was in jail when his mother died.
He said that despite being a cancer survivor and having a spinal problem, they used to take him to court in the regular prison van just to exacerbate his condition, but he never complained.
Responding to Prime Minister Sharif's comments, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub reiterated that they would talk to the government only when Khan and other imprisoned leaders and workers are released from jail.
"This should be in your minds: you torture our workers, you keep our workers in prison vans at 45°C. My Prime Minister Imran Khan was kept in a death cell, there is an oven-like environment there." he said, amidst slogans from the treasury benches.
