ISLAMABAD: Amid a looming deadlock in talks between the ruling coalition and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the government’s negotiation committee on Tuesday formed a sub-committee to respond to PTI’s charter of demands, submitted to it last week.

Following a meeting chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Rana Sanaullah, a member of the government’s negotiation committee, announced the decision to establish a sub-committee tasked with addressing the demands put forth by PTI.

“We will give the government’s response to the opposition in the next meeting,” he told reporters, adding that the sub-committee was reviewing PTI’s demands.

In response to a question regarding the seven-day deadline set by jailed PTI founding chairman Imran Khan for constituting the judicial commissions, he said that they (PTI) are free to make any statement or a move that best suits them.

However, he said that the government side’s sub-committee would respond to PTI’s charter of demand in writing in the next meeting.

To another question regarding the government’s plan to launch a judicial probe into the May 9 and November 26 events, he said that the PTI would be apprised of the government’s response on formation of two separate judicial commissions, as demanded by it.

However, the jailed PTI founder has categorically issued directives to his party leaders to call off the ongoing talks with the government if it failed to form the judicial commissions on May 9, 2023 and November 26, 2024, mayhems.

Senator Irfan Siddiqui, spokesperson of the government’s negotiation committee, said that the participants of Tuesday’s session have not taken a final decision to constitute a judicial commission on the PTI’s demand.

He said that the meeting, attended by all representatives from seven parties of the ruling coalition, reviewed the PTI’s charter of demands; however, no opinion has been established on it. “The meeting was positive and comprehensive (…) such meetings will continue,” he said, adding that another meeting was scheduled for Wednesday to deliberate on the PTI’s charter of demands.

He reiterated that the government will give its reply to the PTI after the completion of seven working days. “In our opinion, the fourth meeting had been scheduled at the conclusion of the third one,” he added.

Siddiqui’s statement came after Imran Khan reportedly directed Gohar Ali Khan not to hold the fourth meeting with the coalition government if judicial commissions are not formed in line with the party’s demand.

Meanwhile, Gohar Ali Khan told reporters that the dialogue process would not move forward if none of their two demands were accepted by the government.

“Talk is a democratic process which must be held,” said Gohar, urging the government to negotiate with seriousness and sincerity to end disputes via talks.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025