ISLAMABAD – The government and the opposition committees held first meeting to start political dialogue in a bid to end uncertainty in larger interest of the country.

National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq chaired the meeting at the Parliament House. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Rana Sanaullah, Irfan Siddiqui, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Syed Naveed Qamar, Abdul Aleem Khan and Dr Farooq Sattar represented the government side.

PTI leader Asad Qaiser, MWM’s Raja Nasir Abbas, and Sunni Ittehad Council’s Sahibzada Hamid Raza appeared from opposition side while some of the members could not attend the meeting due to court hearings.

The NA speaker addressed a press conference after the meeting and thanked both sides for starting the dialogue in a positive environment.

“If we work together for betterment of the country, it will bring political stability, strengthen democracy and help tackling the challenges,” he hoped, adding that they want to end political polarisation in the country.

Later, Senator Irfan Siddiqui read out the joint statement after the meeting, stating that the talks were held in a conducive environment. He added that both sides had agreed that Parliament is the appropriate forum for resolving issues between the government and opposition.

He said the next meeting will be held on January 2 when the opposition will present its written demands.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed hope that the discussions will focus on national security and the broader national interest, stressing the importance of Pakistan’s survival. He also praised the role of National Assembly Speaker Sadiq in facilitating the talks, calling for unity in the face of national challenges.

It is recalled that Imran Khan’s party earlier gave government an ultimatum, warning that it will start a civil disobedience movement if talks do not begin before start of next week. PTI leaders, including Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, are cautiously optimistic after National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq promised to help form a committee for negotiations.