ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has contacted National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq’s office requesting him to convene the third round of talks with the government, sources told Geo News on Monday.
The sources added that Sadiq has reassured the PTI of convening the third session soon and is set to consult both the government and the opposition on said issue today.
The development comes a day after the former ruling party’s negotiation committee finally met its incarcerated founder Imran Khan at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail after much uncertainty which had seemingly led to the stalling of the ongoing parleys with the government.Play Video
The two sides, after months of heightened political tensions finally commenced the dialogue process last month and have held two sessions on December 27, 2024, and January 2, 2025, where it was decided the Khan-founded party would present its “charter of demands”.
However, the PTI’s inability to meet Khan, as argued by the party, prevented it from presenting its demands in writing as it needed to consult the former prime minister on the said issue.
Meanwhile, the “pause” in talks was also attributed to NA Speaker Sadiq’s foreign visit by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah.
The party nevertheless, finally secured the ex-premier’s nod to continue holding talks with the government and present its two demands in writing, Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan confirmed last week.
The two demands mentioned by him refer to the party’s call for the release of its founder and workers and the formation of a judicial commission on the events of the May 9 riots and last year’s November 26 protests.
The prospects of the third session of negotiations between the PTI and the government come against the backdrop of the former’s announcement of January 31 as the cut-off date to reach a “logical conclusion” — a deadline which the government has urged an extension.
Additionally, the ongoing parleys might also be affected by the £190 million case against Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and others whose verdict is set to be announced today. However, the PTI has maintained that the negotiations would continue even if the party founder was sentenced.
Furthermore, the former ruling party called on the government to establish an “impartial judicial commission” before the next round of dialogue.
“No progress has been made in the negotiations so far,” Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) head Sahibzada Hamid Raza while speaking to the media outside Adiala jail on Sunday after meeting Khan.
Emphasising the need for the government to act on their demands, Raza said that the PTI would submit their two demands in writing to the government’s team during the upcoming session.
