Bogged down by over three weeks of political turmoil, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday said it “is not easy” to rule Pakistan and sought the support of all parties in Parliament as several rounds of talks between the Government and protesters failed to break the logjam.
“I hope the Opposition will continue on its path of supporting the Government,” Sharif said on the fourth day of the emergency joint session of the Parliament convened to support the Premier and discuss the crisis that has led to the cancellation of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s maiden visit to Pakistan.
“It was the Opposition which urged me not to resign...I do not care for power...Being the Prime Minister of Pakistan, governing Pakistan is not easy,” Sharif said calling for “unity” among parliamentary parties amid protests.
Sharif’s remarks came after overnight parleys between the Government and the protesting groups — the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) — failed to break any ice on the issue of the Premier’s
resignation.
A key member of the PTI negotiating team dispelled an impression that the party was about to seal a deal with the government and end the political stalemate.
“The two sides have only agreed broadly to our proposal of electoral reforms and establishing a judicial commission. There is no further progress on the rest of our demands,” PTI leader Arif Alvi told Dawn News.
The Government negotiating team also met the PTI team on Friday but there were no indications of a settlement from either side.