ISLAMABAD: Soon after the opposition annou­nced its decision to extend the date of its long march, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday invited Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Mehmood Achakzai for direct talks, apparently in a bid to ensure political stability in the country.

According to a source close to the prime minister, PM Shehbaz extended the invitation for dialogue, but no response had so far been received from the opposition leader. “Yes [the PM has invited Mr Achakzai], but nothing yet [from the opposition side],” the source said.

A Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) spokesman conf­irmed that the opposition leader had received the prime minister’s invitation.

Before the latest invitation, the prime minister had already invited Mr Achakzai on Sept 11 for mandatory consultation on the appointment of a new chief election commi­ssioner (CEC).

Prime Minister Sheh­baz, who is currently in the United States to attend the UN General Assembly, is expected to return within a few days.

Before the prime minister’s first invitation to Mr Achakzai over the appointment of the CEC, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had urged both the prime minister and the opposition leader to sit together for consultations on the appointment of a new CEC.

Under Article 213(2A) of the Constitution, the prime minister is required to consult the opposition leader in the National Assembly and forward three names for the appointment of the chief election commissioner to a parliamentary committee, which hears the candidates and confirms one of them.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2026