PPP’s Syed Nazim Hussain Shah, MMA’s Asghar Gujjar and PML-N’s Mian Yawar Zaman held negotiations with the government. Later speaking at a press conference in the assembly, they alleged the talks failed because of the inflexibility of the government.

Condemning the arrests of the opposition MPAs again on Thursday, they said a permission for them to attend the session was necessary.

Mr Gujjar said the speaker had debarred 27 MPAs, including the leader and deputy leader of the opposition, from attending the session for the first time in country’s parliamentary history.

“We have been trying our utmost to cooperate with the government but it is showing no flexibility,” he said.

He said Speaker Afzal Sahi cooperated with the opposition but it appeared that he was helpless in doing the needful under pressure from the government.

During the talks, he said the government representatives, including Raja Basharat, refused to allow entry to the barred MPAs in the assembly. Their stubbornness also marred the proceedings of the assembly, he said.

Mr Gujjar said Raja Basharat wanted the opposition to attend the session without the barred MPAs while “we wanted him to first take them into the assembly,” he said.

He said the law minister insisted on his point of view despite announcement by the speaker that there was no ban on the entry of the barred MPAs into the assembly.

Syed Nazim Shah said by showing inflexibility, the government had set another bad example. Governments had been bulldozing opposition in the past but always considered its participation necessary for conducting business of the house.

He said the opposition was ready for negotiations with the government provided it showed flexibility. “We would keep national interests dear,” he said.

Mr Shah said the speaker courageously tried to cooperate but Raja Basharat was unwilling to concede any concession. He said the speaker too was a part of the government and was not implementing his words.

The government was bent upon dictating its terms but the opposition wanted protection of the sovereignty of parliament, he said.

He said the speaker did not play his role for getting the arrested MPAs free whereas he had powers to even summon the jailed members to the assembly. “We do hope that the speaker would play his role and for the time being do not demand his resignation,” Mr Shah said.

Yawar Zaman said the opposition sincerely tried to resolve its differences with the government but the latter remained inflexible. This was like humiliating 70 million people of the province.