PTI's Unyielding Resolve: Talks with Government on Precarious Ground
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) reignites negotiations with the government, contingent on fulfilling demands such as establishing judicial commissions and releasing political prisoners. Despite stalled talks and unmet deadlines, PTI is determined to resume discussions if their conditions are acknowledged, questioning the government's genuine intentions.
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- Country:
- Pakistan
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has seen a shift in its approach towards talks with the government, signaling its willingness to return to the negotiation table. This move comes just a day after PTI had called off discussions, as reported by The Express Tribune. The political party, however, made it clear that their return is conditional upon the government meeting specific demands, such as forming judicial commissions and freeing political prisoners, including PTI founder Imran Khan.
The PTI's conditional proposal follows its prior ultimatum on January 23, demanding the establishment of judicial commissions, only to suspend talks when the government did not comply within the stipulated timeframe, The Express Tribune noted. PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan attributed the halt to the government's inaction, emphasizing that Imran Khan opted to pause talks due to unmet demands. While PTI snubbed the fourth negotiation round slated for January 28, it reiterated that dialogue would only resume if the government addressed their conditions.
In an interaction outside Parliament, Khan clarified that the dialogue had been called off as the government did not honor PTI's seven-day deadline to set up judicial commissions. The government dismissed PTI's timeline, labeling it as "unfortunate" and pointed out that the agreed response time spanned "seven working days," implying the deadline was yet to lapse. In a reversal, Gohar Ali Khan later stated that Imran Khan merely paused, not terminated, the discussions, suggesting a willingness to reconsider talks if the government showed sincerity by satisfying PTI's demands.
PTI's leader expressed disappointment over the stalled discussions, suspecting it revealed the government's reluctance to initiate commissions, The Express Tribune noted. Talks between PTI and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) administration ground to a halt after Imran Khan instructed Gohar Ali Khan to cancel talks due to the government's failure to establish commissions to probe specific incidents by the agreed deadline.
Following PTI's stance, government representative Senator Irfan Siddiqui remarked that the deadline was not exhausted, having been decided that the government would reply to PTI's demands within "seven working days," counting till January 28 - coinciding with a meeting scheduled by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.
Siddiqui urged PTI to revisit its decision, noting that it took PTI 42 days to draft their demands, questioning their impatience with waiting an additional five days for the government's reply. With talks precariously poised, PTI remains adamant that resumption hinges on establishing commissions, while the government maintains PTI should have awaited a formal response before withdrawing from talks.
Responding to speculation that the government was disinclined to set up commissions, Irfan Siddiqui advised PTI to await a written reply rather than hastily ending discussions. After PTI's refusal, Siddiqui revealed that the government's committee would deliberate future actions on January 28, as reported by The Express Tribune.
The initial dialogue between PTI and the government commenced on December 23, 2024, aiming to solve entrenched issues and find a collective pathway forward. Since negotiations began in December, three meetings have occurred. During the third meeting on January 16, PTI presented its demands and awaited a response. These talks were initiated to achieve political and economic stability in Pakistan by resolving longstanding grievances between PTI and the government, but disagreements over deadlines have led to an impasse, terminating the discussions prematurely. (ANI)
(With inputs from agencies.)