President Dr Arif Alvi said on Wednesday that neither the country was heading towards default nor was there any chance of martial law, adding that the democracy had matured in the country and new military leadership had decided to remain apolitical.

“There is a ‘state of nervousness’ at the moment and the negotiation is the key to lower political temperature,” the president clarified speaking in an interview with a private TV channel.

He hoped that the new army chief would reduce the lack of trust between institutions, and urged all stakeholders to solve all problems through talks. “Now it is the responsibility of the political parties to show some seriousness toward joint efforts.”

Speaking about his meeting with finance minister Ishaq Dar the president said that Dar also expressed willingness for talks between the political parties.

He said that during their meeting various proposals related to import were discussed. “I gave him [Ishaq Dar] suggestions for measures to save energy, closing the market early will also help save electricity.”

Last week PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry during a press conference said that informal communication between his party and the federal government had begun and talks were taking place. He also told about President Alvi’s meeting with the finance minister.

“We have tried to make them [coalition government], especially Ishaq Dar, understand that no system other than elections can bring stability in the country,” he had said.

Imran Khan had also urged the coalition government to hold talks to decide a date for an early election to end an impasse that has stoked political instability.

President Alvi said that the people “have the right to believe that the government belongs to their mandate”, adding that immediate elections were the only solution for people’s trust.

He said that the new military leadership is serious about staying away from politics, now all the responsibility falls on the politicians, and they should be serious to work together.

Talking about the appointment of the army chief, the President said that the appointment of the new chief of army staff has been completed in a good manner. “It is a good tradition to meet the Army Chief before signing the summary.”

President Alvi said that there was no harm in consulting people. “I had already told Imran Khan that I will consult him, nothing else special happened in the meeting with him [Imran Khan].”

Earlier, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had a meeting with President Alvi in ​​which political issues, dissolution of provincial assemblies, and other issues of concern were discussed.

Dar also briefed the president on the overall economic situation of the country, and the steps taken by the government to provide relief to the most vulnerable segments of society.

According to the sources, the meeting discussed the cooperation of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to reduce the import bill in the country, on this occasion, Ishaq Dar also sought cooperation from the opposition to implement the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).