ISLAMABAD: The first round of talks between the federal government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was held on Monday.
Chaired by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the behind-the-camera meeting was held in Committee Room 5 of the House of Parliament and was attended by seven members of the government and three members of the PTI.
The government representatives included Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Irfan Siddiqui, Rana Sanaullah, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Syed Naveed Qamar, Abdul Aleem Khan and Farooq Sattar.
PTI members present were Asad Qaiser, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Sahibzada Hamid Raza.
However, some PTI leaders like Omar Ayub, Ali Amin Gandapur, Hamid Khan and Salman Akram Raja did not attend.
The conversation discussed the ways of negotiation and discussed the demands of PTI. However, the participants unanimously decided to continue the dialogue and postpone the meeting to January 2, 2025 due to the unavailability of key PTI officials either due to busyness in courts or being abroad.
Barrister Gohar, Omar Ayub and Salman Akram Raja did not turn up for the first meeting.
Ayaz Sadiq said that the talks were initiated in a spirit of friendliness and should continue with mutual cooperation. According to him, both parties should proceed with caution and avoid any controversial statements.
Irfan Siddiqui read out the details of the proceedings of the meeting.
In his opening speech, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq welcomed the members and described the negotiations between the government and the opposition as a positive sign for democracy.
He emphasized that these dialogues strengthened democratic processes and helped to resolve political issues.
Sadiq called on both parties to focus on solving the public’s problems and improving the country’s political and economic stability.
Irfan Siddiqui, a member of the Cabinet Committee, expressed optimism and said that they are entering the talks with high hopes for positive outcomes that will benefit the people of Pakistan.
On the other hand, PTI’s Omar Ayub said that they will monitor the government’s intentions during the discussions.
MQM leader Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui emphasized the importance of dialogue to understand the way forward.
Meanwhile, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas stressed that the government has a last chance to resolve the situation and said that the talks will reflect the government’s real intentions.
Sahibzada Hamid Raza emphasized that while the PTI is open to negotiations, it will not back down from its demands, including the release of political prisoners and the establishment of a judicial commission.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently formed an eight-member committee for negotiations. The committee consists of Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Rana Sanaullah, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Syed Naveed Qamar, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Abdul Aleem Khan and Chaudhry Salik Hussain.
PTI chairman Barrister Gohar welcomed the formation of the government’s negotiating committee. PTI’s negotiating team consists of Omar Ayub, Ali Amin Gandapur, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Salman Akram Raja and Asad Qaiser.
Continue reading: PTI prepares draft of demands for talks with government
The PTI has also prepared draft demands for negotiations. The draft includes a list of more than 5,000 political prisoners with former prime minister Imran Khan’s name at the top.
Key demands include the release of political prisoners and the creation of a judicial commission to investigate the May 9 and November 26 incidents.
The PTI proposed that the judicial commission should be made up of three senior judges of the Supreme Court.
Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Monday invited members of the negotiating committee of the government and PTI for a meeting.
