• Tarar asks opposition to help create ‘enabling environment’ for talks
• Achakzai hints at boycotting parliament over unmet demands

ISLAMABAD: PTI lawmakers in the National Assembly (NA) staged a protest against the alleged rigging in the Gilgit-Baltistan elections, as the government yet again offered the opposition to engage in dialogue on issues of national importance.

“I invited you on behalf of the government to come and sit together with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to have consultations on national issues,” said Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on the floor of the NA while replying to the allegations of the opposition leaders that the government had failed to perform. He said PM Shehbaz, at the outset of his government’s formation, offered the opposition to come to the dialogue table to sort out issues.

The law minister said the opposition needed to create an “enabling environment” to address such issues. Regarding the opposition’s demand to allow meetings between PTI’s incarcerated founder Imran Khan and his family members and party leaders, the law minister said the Constitution did not allow convicts to run parties, distribute tickets for legislative assemblies, and take part in politics.

About the GB polls, he said the opposition needed to provide proof for any kind of rigging. Earlier, PTI lawmaker Iqbal Afridi holding a banner against the GB election results staged a protest on the stairs of the speaker’s dais. He was also joined by another lawmaker for a demo that lasted a few minutes.

During his speech, Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai said the government had failed to run the country. He said the opposition had ended its boycott at the government’s request to show unity before a Chinese delegation that visited the National Assembly last month. However, Imran Khan was still not allowed to meet his family, friends, lawyers, and doctors.

During the previous session, Achakzai had announced the opposition parties would boycott the budget if Imran Khan was not allowed the court-mandated meetings with his family. The opposition leader also noted that Balochistan, Kashmir, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were burning due to alleged excesses of the security forces.

PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan said the government was asking provinces to collect more taxes and give them to the Centre because it had failed on all fronts.

The House also passed ‘The Inter-Boards Coordination Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2025’ and ‘The Islamabad Capital Territory Private Educational Institutions (Registration and Regulation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026’. Besides these bills, several reports from the standing committees were presented in the NA.

Responding to a question during the question hour in the House, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said Pakistani missions abroad have dedicated sections that provide necessary support to Pakistani prisoners, including legal and financial assistance, to ensure their welfare.

He said the mission representatives regularly visit the jails and ensure the well-being of all prisoners. The prisoners interact with the officers of the missions during jail visits and register their complaints regarding food, medicine and hygiene, which are immediately discussed with the jail authorities.

Dr Tariq Fazal said as soon as a Pakistani is apprehended by law enforcement agencies, the date of arrest and the charges levelled against them are communicated to the missions through the official communication channels of the host government. The missions tabulate the information and a comprehensive databank of the same is maintained, he said.

The minister added that every effort was being made to secure the release of Pakistani hostages held by Somali pirates. The minister claimed no targeted or selective action was being taken against Pakistanis in the UAE.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2026