GUJRAT: Political dialogue with all political parties, including the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is a must to run the country, said former defence minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Khurram Dastgir Khan.

Talking to Dawn at his Gujranwala residence, Mr Khan said that parliament should be the forum to discuss serious national, regional and international issues instead of debating such matters only in the media.

The PML-N leader who is part of a committee led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to visit foreign capitals to seek support against Indian threats, said that his family had a long history of political rivalry with the PPP and he had always considered the PPP as ‘an evil in politics’, but now his opinion had changed.

“I do not consider PPP evil now and believe in dialogue with the PPP on the issue of canals and water. PML-N should present its arguments to PPP,” the senior PML-N leader said, adding that similarly, talks should also be held with PTI.

He said that it was not just Sindh but the entire country was facing the challenge of water shortage. He said that it was Mian Nawaz Sharif who initiated the water accord between provinces in 1991.

Criticising former prime minister Imran Khan, he said that the PTI founder had degraded every institution of Pakistan, including the parliament, the PM office and others. He said the PTI did not deliver on public welfare projects even after being in power for the last 12 years in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.He said he had also called on Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif during the current month and discussed all important issues relating to the country’s defence, trade, Industry and development.

He said as commerce minister in the Nawaz Sharif-led federal cabinet, he had the GSP Plus status for Pakistan approved from the European Parliament. Whereas, he was part of the last civilian dialogue with the Indian authorities on trade normalisation in 2013-14, he added.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2025