We want to improve relations with Opposition: Fawad Chaudhry

LAHORE: Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has expressed the government’s willingness to initiate negotiations with the opposition, saying that they want to improve relations.

Talking to journalists in Lahore today (Saturday), the federal minister asserted that Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif may appoint a focal person as the government is willing to hold talks with oppoisiton.

“While Shehbaz hasn’t sent us a written request for negotiations, we have sent him one. We wanted to talk to them on reforms previously, and we want to talk to them on the matter now,” the minister added.

Fawad Chaudhry also stressed the significance of the PML-N and the PPP resolving differences within their respective parties. “Maryam and Shehbaz need to settle their dispute so that they the PML-N have a clear policy. Similarly, Bilawal and Faryal Talpur need to have the same policy,” he claimed.

Referring to Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the federal minister said that the three major players in the opposition — PPP, PML-N and JUI-F – had different policies, which resulted in a weak opposition that had no defined direction.

However, he said the government acknowledged that the opposition had an important role in Pakistan, and he personally was of the opinion that the opposition needed to support measures taken by the government.

The government had invited the opposition several times to sit with it to resolve all controversial issues and initiate the process of much-needed electoral reforms for the larger interest of the country earlier as well.