Nawaz Sharif blames PTI, PAT for talks with Pak army

Director General of the Inter Services Public Relations tweeted that the army entered negotiations at the behest of the government

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today told the Pakistan parliament that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Tahirul Qadri had requested a meeting with Pakistan army chief General Raheel Sharif so that the army could play the role of the negotiator in the ongoing political crisis in the country.

This comes hours after Sharif came under criticism from all quarters for dragging the military into the calamity that has engulfed the country. Initially, Sharif and Pakistan Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan claimed that the government had not sought the army's help.

However, a tweet by the Director General of the Inter Services Public Relations quashed those claims, saying that they had entered negotiations at the behest of the government. Sharif, at this point, blamed the PTI and the PAT for the army entering the negotiations.

Meanwhile, today was the first time the government held joint negotiations with the PTI and PAT. Both parties demanded the resignation of Sharif.