ISLAMABAD (TIP): ‘I will free Pakistan from the dictatorship of Nawaz Sharif who is the fake prime minister,’ says Imran. And Sharif does not want to let go. With the result, there is terrible uneasiness and anxiety as to what lies in future for Pakistan. Less than half a day after meeting each other, the government and Pakistan Tehreeki- Insaf (PTI) on Thursday, August 21 suspended their committee-level talks and were back to exchanging barbs.

While Imran Khan continued his tirade against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and others, the PTI negotiating team held a brief press conference to announce the suspension of talks. However, the PTI leaders left the door open by saying that if their two reservations were addressed (later the party increased them to four), the dialogue could be resumed.

However, the government did not react nervously to the PTI’s announcement of suspension. Addressing the media outside the parliament house, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said that Khan was simply looking for excuses and that his crowds on D-Chowk were thinning out. The government, the minister claimed, had from the first day shown flexibility, be it its willingness to talk or its decision to not use force but the other side kept changing its goal posts.

It is not clear as to how and when a dialogue could be resumed and negotiations will head for a resolution of the situation. Pakistan is on tenterhooks until the thorny issue is resolved. Meanwhile, the military called for calm after protesters breached the Red Zone that houses important government buildings including the parliament house, prime minister house, president house, the supreme court besides embassies. “Situation requires patience, wisdom and sagacity from all stakeholders to resolve prevailing impasse through meaningful dialogue in larger national and public interest,” military spokesman Maj Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa tweeted.