Asif Zardari asks PM Sehbaz to hold unconditional dialogue with opposition

ISLAMABAD– Asif Ali Zardari, the co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party and a former president, requested on Monday that Shehbaz Sharif hold talks with the opposition without setting any prerequisites.

He said the opposition would have to approach the premier for dialogue “because he is the prime minister” while speaking to the National Constitutional Convention, which was being held at the National Assembly Hall in the federal capital in conjunction with the 1973 Constitution’s Golden Jubilee celebrations. The former president emphasized unity and said, “By remaining united, we can drive the country out of any crisis.” He expressed his hope that Pakistan, which is currently experiencing its worst political and economic crisis, would be put on the path of development and promised that “we will do it.”

Earlier, National Assembly Speaker Raja Parvez Ashraf welcomed the participants, including Justice Qazi Faez Isa, to the convention.

He said the month-long festivities had been organised to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Constitution, aimed at highlighting the importance of the Constitution at every level of society.

The Convention passed a resolution pledging to protect and defend the constitution of Pakistan in letter and spirit. The resolution moved by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called upon all state organs to ensure that the constitution of 1973 was fully implemented and that the rights and interests of the people of Pakistan were protected and safeguarded.