Rana Sanaullah, the federal interior minister, said on Sunday that the government was willing to negotiate with the opposition on any issue as long as they were unconditional negotiations. He also warned that ‘armed groups’ roaming around voting districts would not be permitted to influence elections.
Hundreds of shipping containers have been placed at the city’s entrances, and a security wall has been built around the federal capital’s red zone as the federal government prepares Islamabad for the anticipated PTI-long march.
After casting his ballot in the by-elections, the minister spoke with the media in Faisalabad and declared that the government will not halt PTI’s long march.
He soon clarified, though, that the march will be permitted to go forward as long as it is nonviolent and takes place at the designated protest site. The PTI may submit a request, and the government will make every effort to accommodate it.
However, an invasion of Islamabad will not be tolerated.
He claimed that as long as they are unconditional conversations without conditions, the government is ready to discuss anything with the opposition.
Regarding the by-elections, Rana Sanaullah asserted that he did not violate the code of conduct anywhere and that it was not an election campaign if he went to meet someone or to cheer them up.
When asked about the ECP’s instructions to the special branch of police, he said that on election day, everyone, including federal agencies, should follow the top poll body’s instructions to ensure transparent elections.
According to the minister’s information, the turnout in the by-election was between 20% and 25%.
The decision of the people in the by-election should be accepted, as should the decision of the general election by all parties, he added.
In response to a question about Nawaz Sharif’s return to Pakistan, Rana Sanaullah stated that no one knows when the PML-N supremo will return.
He stated that they have asked Nawaz Sharif to lead the election campaign, but that they can only make suggestions, and that any decision on Nawaz’s return will be made by the PML-N supremo.
Pavan Manzoor is an experienced content writer , editor and social media handler along with a track record of youth-oriented activities in Pakistan and abroad. She was selected as a fully-funded delegate as a leadership fellow in Turkey. She also led a team of 5 volunteers at the week-long Young Professionals Fellowship in Maldives. She is also a member of the Youth Standing Committee on Higher Education.
