ISLAMABAD: The government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have decided to use the platform of Parliament for negotiations to reduce political instability and ongoing tensions in the country, it is learnt.

According to the sources, the Speaker National Assembly’s office (Chamber) would be the hub of negotiations. They said that the talks between the government and the PTI would take place without any preconditions.

The sources said that Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq floated the proposal of Parliament as a platform for negotiations during a meeting with PTI leaders and Federal Minister for Law and Justice who called on him to express condolence on the death of the Speaker’s sister.

PTI leaders Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Omar Ayub, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, and Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Azam Nazir Tarar were also present in the meeting.

The sources said that the proposal was accepted by both the PTI and the government. The PML-N government will soon give the names of the members for constituting the negotiation committee.

However, PTI formed a five-member negotiation committee comprising Omar Ayub Khan, Ali Amin Gandapur, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Salman Akram Raja, and Asad Qaiser last week.

The sources said that senior PTI leaders Asad Qaiser and Salman Akram Raja are expected to hold an important meeting with National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq in this regard. They said that the meeting has been scheduled following a telephonic contact between Asad Qaiser and Speaker Sadiq.

During the meeting, the PTI is likely to present its demands before the government’s team.

“PTI [leadership] approached the government for dialogue,” the sources said, adding that the former ruling party backtracked from its pre-talk demands.

The government source was of the view that they always advocated for political dialogue to settle issues. “Dialogue is the sole way forward in politics,” the sources said, quoting the government officials.

The sources hoped that the government and the PTI would formally initiate talks from today (Thursday).

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), a key ally of the PML-N in the Centre, was also unaware of the fresh development.

However, the sources said that the negotiation with the PTI would be subject to nod from President Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N President Nawaz Sharif.

Reacting to the fresh development, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said while talking to the media that the National Assembly speaker had formed a negotiation committee in the past, adding that the same committee would hold talks with the PTI.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024