Govt, PTI ‘flexing muscles’ for 2nd round of negotiations tomorrow

• NA speaker will presides over the in-camera session at parliament house at 11am

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has formally convened the in-camera seesion of the committees representing the government and the PTI on Thursday (tomorrow) at the parliament house.

According to a notification issued by the NA Secretariat, the crucial meeting between the ruling alliance and Imran Khan-founded party will be held at parliament house on Thursday at 11am.

According to the notification, Mr Sadiq “will chair a 2nd meeting (in-camera) on negotiations between Treasury and Opposition on Thursday, at 11:30am” at the Parliament House.

Meanwhile, the PTI has decided to limit itself to two initial demands in the talks – the release of under trial political prisoners and the formation of a judicial commission to probe the events of May 9, 2023 and Nov 26.

Background discussions with party leaders revealed that it was annoyed by the “illogical and absurd statements” about the talks, being issued by government ministers, and wanted the ruling party to review its “nonsensical approach and create a favourable environment for talks”.

The PTI will present its demands in writing before the government's negotiation committee at the Jan 2 meeting as the first round of parleys ended in a conducive environment.

PTI leader and former NA speaker Asad Qaiser, however, said that their demands were clear. He demanded a commission to investigation May 9 and November 26 events and release of the PTI founder, who has been behind bars since August last year after he was sentenced in Toshakhana case-I — one of the dozens cases registered against the former premier since his ouster from power in April 2022.

All members of the PTI's negotiation committee would attend the next round of talks, he added.

In the previous meeting, the PTI was represented by former NA Speaker Asad Qaiser, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza, and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Allama Raja Nasir Abbas.

Questions were raised over the sincerity of the former ruling party in the negotiation process as other members of the Khan-founded party, including Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, senior PTI leader Hamid Khan skipped the key huddle.

From the government's side, a nine-member committee comprising Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, PM’s political aide Rana Sanaullah, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, PPP’s Raja Parvez Ashraf, Naveed Qamar, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) leader Aleem Khan, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader and Religious Affairs Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Balochistan Awami Party’s Sardar Khalid Magsi and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui —will attend the second round of talks with the PTI.

Earlier, Sunni Ittehad Council Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza — one of the PTI’s main parliamentary allies — announced that the party would give the government until Jan 31 to conclude the ongoing negotiations.

“The cut-off date for negotiations is Jan 31. On January 2, when our committee meets the government to continue the negotiations, Omar Ayub will formally give them this deadline,” he had said.

Earlier this month, PTI founder Imran Khan had formed a committee to negotiate with the government over the party’s demands, which included Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur and SIC chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza.