Opposition cold-shoulders govt's olive branch.

ISLAMABAD -- Amid tense political situation in the country, the government on Friday held out an olive branch to the opposition during a meeting, seeking to have better relations at least in parliament, but the effort remained fruitless due to the latter's tepid response, Dawn has learnt.

However, both sides agreed to meet again on Monday to make another effort to diminish political tension in the country and let parliamentary business run smoothly for legislation, which is mostly being done through ordinances.

According to the opposition, three leaders of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) - Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan and party's Chief Whip in the National Assembly Amir Dogar - met senior opposition leaders in the chamber of the opposition leader (Shehbaz Sharif) and asked for the opposition's cooperation to run the legislative business in parliament smoothly.

Both sides agree to meet again to make another effort for diminishing political tension and cooperating in parliament

But the opposition turned down the request and asked the government team to first stop bashing the opposition and then sought cooperation.

'Three PTI leaders came to the opposition leader's chamber and invited the opposition for talks to shun differences for at least smooth running of parliamentary business,' said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) information secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb, when contacted.

'Three-member government team led by Pervez Khattak asked us for reconciliation, but we told him that on the one hand you call us chor (thieves) and, on the other, you seek our cooperation,' she added.

She said another PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal had asked the government team that if 'we [opposition leaders] are Indian agents and traitors, then why you are here to talk to us'.

Ms Aurangzeb said the ruling party feared that the opposition would take the government to task on the issue of Broadsheet (UK-based assets recovery firm) and, therefore, the cooperation of the opposition was sought.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Naveed Qamar, who was also present in the meeting, said that in fact he and some other opposition leaders felt that since the parliamentary process had come to a halt for the last two-and-a-half years, the government and the opposition should at least keep their fight outside parliament and make people-friendly legislation.

He said that earlier National Assembly Speaker...