ISLAMABAD: In a bid to resolve political instability in the country, the government and opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday agreed to hold the third round of their talks on January 16.
A statement issued from National Assembly Secretariat said that the meeting will take place in Committee Room 5 and will be held in-camera.
Although the PTI was reluctant to give its demand in writing, the party is agreed to present its written demands during the session after getting approval from its jailed founding chairman Imran Khan.
The meeting date was revised from January 15 to January 16 following requests from committee members. “The change was made after consultations with members of both sides,” said Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.
The sources privy to the development told Business Recorder that the contact between the government and PTI resumed recently. They said that senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser held a telephonic conversation with Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, after which the date for the third round of talks was finalised.
This marks the first formal interaction between PTI representatives and the NA speaker after consultations with PTI’s leadership.
Talking to journalists, PTI’s negotiating team’s spokesman Sahibzada Hamid Raza said that the party demands a judicial inquiry into the May 9 and November 26 incidents. “We have given the government until January 31 to announce the inquiry. Failing this, negotiations may come to an end,” he said.
The negotiation process marks an effort to resolve ongoing political tensions, with both parties previously holding two rounds of talks without any significant breakthrough.
Since the incarceration of PTI’s founder last year in several cases, PTI’s relations with the government and ‘establishment’ have deteriorated sharply, marked by protests that frequently escalated into violence amid state repression.
Following the turmoil, the PTI founding chairman established a five-member committee to hold talks with “anyone”, signalling a shift in PTI lawmakers’ stance in parliament.
In response, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also formed a committee with ruling coalition members.
The first meeting between the two sides took place on December 23, while the second one occurred on January 2. So far, the two sides have not made significant headway, as the PTI leadership sought frequent meetings with their founding party chairman to finalise their list of demands.
Talking to journalists, Asad Qaiser said the party was sincere towards negotiations.
After meeting with Imran Khan in jail on Sunday, the PTI negotiation team was due to meet Ayaz Sadiq today to present the party’s demands in writing to the speaker.
The meeting in prison, reportedly facilitated by Sadiq, came after days of complaints by the PTI that its team had not been allowed unmonitored access to Imran in jail.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur held a one-on-one meeting with Imran Khan before meeting him along with the delegation.
At the outset of their contacts, the PTI had put forth two demands: the release of political prisoners and the formation of a judicial commission to probe the May 9 and November 26 crackdowns.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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