No talks with Imran Khan unless he apologises to public: PM Shehbaz.

ISLAMABAD -- In a fiery address at the National Assembly on Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was of the clear opinion that talks between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan will only be possible if the former premier admits his "wrongdoings" and apologises to people for all the things he has said and done.

Labelling Khan as a 'fraud,' the premier said that it was 'not possible to talk" with someone who had 'looted the country, attacked the judiciary and did not believe in the Constitution and justice", until he publicly apologised to people and admitted to having caused damage to the country and the Constitution.

'I believe no discussions can be held with a person who consistently and condescendingly rejects invitations for talks on everything - be it COVID-19, the state of terrorism in the country, the apex committee meeting or the Kashmir conference," PM Shehbaz added.

"In a democracy, we have no weapons, merely dialogue," the PM said, emphasising that it was not possible to give in to Khan; "however, we are short on time."

Speaking about the dissenting note issued by two judges of the Supreme Court (SC) who raised questions over the powers of the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP), the prime minister said the "move was a ray of hope".

He further added that the 'decision' yesterday had been made by four of the seven members of the bench and since the Parliament is empowered to make laws in the country, it, must do what it can to make laws that will facilitate the 'decision'.

A day earlier, in a 27-page detailed note - considered to be a 'judgement' - for the apex court's March 1 verdict in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa suo motu, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail pointed out that it is important 'to revisit the power of 'one-man show' enjoyed by the office of the CJP [Umar Ata Bandial]".

'The voices for change stemming from the judiciary itself is certainly a ray of hope for the country,' Shehbaz said, adding that if the house did not play its part in making the 'needed' changes, the nation will not forgive them.

'Today, we must decide whether we want to help the millions of people in this country or we want to facilitate one favourite,' the prime minister said.

Shedding light on the recent fiasco witnessed during the court proceeding of the PTI chief, the premier said that a certain "favourite" does not appear before any court, no matter how many notices have been...