As talks began between the ruling party and the opposition to resolve political disputes, government committee member Senator Irfan Siddiqui on Monday said he would agree to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) demand to consult Imran Khan. Have agreed. According to Geo News report, the party’s founder was jailed.
PTI and the government began the dialogue process at the Parliament House in Islamabad with the “hope of a positive outcome” aimed at reducing political tensions in the country.
“People want peace and democratic norms instead of anarchy and economic instability in the country,” Siddiqui said in a Geo News programme.
Speaking about deferring the verdict in the GBP 190 million Al-Qadir Trust case against Imran Khan and his wife, Siddiqui clarified that the government was not involved in judicial matters.
“The government has nothing to do with judicial matters, denying any connection with the ongoing negotiation process,” he claimed.
He said that the next round of talks is to be held on January 2 in mutual consultation between the two committees. Siddiqui mentioned that both the committees would meet again to continue the dialogue process.
He also confirmed that both sides have agreed to keep their discussions behind closed doors and avoid public statements that could disrupt the talks. “We want a logical conclusion of the talks. We asked them (PTI) to present their demands in the form of a charter of demands,” he said.
However, Siddiqui was careful to avoid making any promises about the outcome of the talks at this early stage. He clarified that the government cannot give assurances at the moment, but will consider PTI’s demands after they are presented in writing, Geo News reported.
“The government committee, comprising senior members with knowledge of constitutional and legal matters, will consider options after receiving the demands of the former ruling party,” he said.
Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) chief Senator Raja Nasir Abbas also shared his views on the talks. Speaking at the same event, Abbas expressed optimism about the ongoing talks, saying, “I have seen many positive things during the meeting called by the outgoing government.”
He praised the formation of the PTI talks committee and criticized the government for delaying the formation of its own talks committee. According to Abbas, it was important to arrange a meeting between Imran Khan and the PTI talks team to ensure a positive direction in the talks. He stressed, “It is necessary to arrange a meeting between the PTI committee and Imran which will demonstrate a positive approach by the government.”
Abbas also urged the government to take full advantage of the opportunity provided by the talks to resolve Pakistan’s political disputes.
The meeting was attended by prominent personalities including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, PM’s advisor Rana Sanaullah and Senator Irfan Siddiqui. The opposition was represented by former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, Sunni Ittehad Council chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza and MWM’s Raja Nasir Abbas. PTI’s committee was made up of other high-ranking members, although some were unable to attend the meeting, Geo News reported.
After the first round of discussions, PTI has committed to submit its demands in writing to the government committee.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
