ISLAMABAD: The ongoing face-off between the government and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) sparked fresh tension on Monday as the two sides accused each other of ‘political gimmickry’ on the issue of talks.

In response to the government’s stand on talks, PTI Information Secretary Dr Shireen Mazari claimed that her party had never closed the door on negotiations.

“The PTI has never refused to hold talks with the government. Its chairman Imran Khan has displayed flexibility in his position and made a positive suggestion for a meaningful probe into rigging of last year’s general elections,” she said in a press release.

Know more: Talks still an option for govt, PTI

Addressing a rally in Rahimyar Khan on Sunday, Mr Khan backed off from his demand for resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif if the government agreed to conduct an impartial audit of election results under a judicial commission.

Ms Mazari was responding to the press conference of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who earlier in the day criticised the PTI chairman for proposing inclusion of officials of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Military Intelligence (MI) in a proposed judicial commission to probe the rigging allegations. She claimed it was the government which had in the first place made a suggestion for including ISI and MI officials in the commission.

“The ministers are busy in only hollow talk and wasting time. The government actually doesn’t want talks and is looking for an escape route.”

In a hard hitting statement, Dr Mazari accused the government of playing a “political game obvious to even independent observers”.

“Today’s press conference makes it clear that neither does the government believe in dialogue nor is it serious in ending the current standstill because it is afraid of a free and fair investigation,” she said.

Talking to Dawn, a senior PTI leader said it was certain after Mr Dar’s press conference that the government had decided to ignore the “concerns we have over the outcome of the elections”.

“It is a dangerous and frightening development because it seems that the government has decided to confront Mr Khan,” a political analyst said. He said the government must realise that if something went wrong in the end, it would be held responsible for that.

About Imran Khan’s suggestion, he said, the government should have resumed talks and tried to find some middle ground.

“Having secured unconditional support from all parliamentary parties and the army playing a neutral role during the stand-off, the PML-N, which has a comfortable majority of 190 members in the National Assembly, thinks it has attained an unassailable position vis-à-vis the PTI,” the analyst said while explaining the reason behind the government’s tough stand against Mr Khan.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2014