Negotiating committees not yet denotified despite PTI’s withdrawal

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly (NA) Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has not formally dissolved the committees formed for negotiations between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in a show of his desire for the dialogue to continue.

The National Secretariat, on the speaker’s orders, has not de-notified the committees as yet.   It is pertinent to mention here that both the government and the PTI have dissolved their committees formed to find a way out of the current situation through dialogue.

On Friday, PML-N Parliamentary Leader in the Senate Senator Irfan Siddiqui, confirmed that the government has ended the negotiation process with PTI after the party withdrew and rejected the prime minister’s offer for another round of talks.

Siddiqui, also the spokesman for the government’s negotiation committee involved in talks with the PTI, said that PTI leaders hurried into negotiations and exited just as quickly as they had arrived. Their primary and genuine demand was the immediate release of Imran Khan and other leaders.

In an interview, Irfan Siddiqui further emphasized that negotiations have ended, with no deadlock or breakdown. Despite the prime minister’s offer, PTI’s responses, as of January 31, are available, and their set deadline has passed. With the dissolution of their committee, the negotiations have now concluded, he added.

‘PTI should not suspend talks with govt’

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday that the PTI should not suspend talks with the government.

Talking to reporters at the inauguration of a passport office in Lahore, he said he was at a loss to understand what the party was up to.

Responding to another question, the interior minister said he wanted to say to the PTI not to hold protests on February 8.