Breaking the ice: Govt, PTI resume talks on a 'positive note'

Ahsan Iqbal, Asad Umar get first round of talk underway. Second round expected to be held on Saturday or on Sunday

ISLAMABAD: The federal government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) resumed talks in Islamabad on Thursday, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Government’s negotiation team, led by Federal Minister for Planning and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal met with PTI’s committee led by Asad Umar for preliminary talks on Thursday.

While confirming the resumption of talks, Iqbal claimed that both sides had started talks on a positive note and hoped that the second round of talks will yield further results.

However, both sides have decided to not to reveal details of the talks to the media in order to avoid any controversy.

The second round of talks are expected to be held either on Saturday evening or on Sunday.

PTI’s Information Secretary Dr Shireen Mazari said that the two sides on Thursday discussed the future course of talks and that formal talks will only start after PTI vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi joins the team.

Meanwhile, sources revealed that PTI and PML-N exchanged some of their demands during Thursday's talks and that both sides will present their replies during the second round of talks.

Federal Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar and PTI’s Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who spearheaded their respective teams during the last round of talks before they were called off, are expected to join the negotiations during the second round.

Currently, Qureshi is in Multan while Dar had to attend Urs of Abul Hassan Ali Hajvery at Data Darbar in Lahore.