Government Ministers Admit “All Is Not Well” and System Has Failed: Nadeem Afzal Chan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Information Secretary Nadeem Afzal Chan has claimed that government ministers themselves have acknowledged that “all is not well” and that the system has failed.

Speaking on a Hum News programme, Chan said, “The architect has told them that this house is going to collapse.” He added that the government must either acknowledge the situation or issue show-cause notices to the ministers who have raised such concerns.

Chan said discussions about the system’s failure had begun within the federal cabinet, naming Mohsin Naqvi, Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal and Aleem Khan among the ministers who had spoken on the matter.

He said the government would have to provide an explanation, adding that the PPP had exposed what he described as government rigging during the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections.

Chan said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had extended a hand towards the opposition. “If elections are not transparent, how can the country run?” he asked.

He said the PPP had helped form the government through its votes but would not defend alleged rigging. However, he added that the party supported the government on security policies and its role regarding the Iran conflict, but would not support it on inflation and issues affecting the public.

Government Offers Talks to PTI

Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the government had offered the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) an opportunity to hold talks directly with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

He said even a group of 10 PTI representatives could sit with the prime minister and present their demands, including those concerning a meeting with Imran Khan.

Chaudhry advised PTI to resolve its internal differences and factionalism before entering negotiations.

On the issue of new provinces, he said there should be a political debate on where new provinces were actually needed, adding that the discussion had been continuing for years.

Responding to Chan’s remarks about the system, Chaudhry said there was still room for improvement in the system.

PTI Demands Conditions Before Talks

PTI Chief Whip Aamir Dogar said the scheduled National Assembly session on August 7 could not be held, claiming that the reasons were known to everyone.

He said the government was becoming concerned following recent statements by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Dogar said it had now been conveyed in a meeting with the National Assembly speaker that the next session would be held on August 17.

He added that the government had asked PTI to return to parliamentary standing committees and offered negotiations following the party’s recent public gathering.

Dogar said Imran Khan was approaching three years in prison and alleged that the government was unwilling to provide him with prisoner rights. He warned that the PTI would be forced to take a “tough decision” if its demands were not addressed.

He said the government should first accept two PTI demands to create an environment for negotiations, including facilitating a meeting between Imran Khan and his family.

Dogar alleged that the system had already failed when the government came to power through what he described as election rigging, claiming that “the system ended on February 8.”

Chan, meanwhile, reiterated his earlier remark that the “architect” had warned that the political “house” was going to collapse, adding that politicians should be allowed to run the country.