PTI considers revoking civil disobedience call amid ongoing govt talks

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram has signalled that the party may revoke its deferred civil disobedience call if the government shows seriousness in addressing its demands during ongoing negotiations.

Speaking to a local news channel on Wednesday, Akram highlighted that PTI founder Imran Khan has firmly instructed party leaders not to compromise on two primary demands: the release of all political prisoners, including Khan himself, and the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the May 9 riots and the November 26 incident. 

Additionally, he said, Khan has directed Akram, Chairman Barrister Gohar, and Secretary General Salman Akram Raja to address global issues during these talks. After months of heightened political tensions, PTI and government representatives convened their first round of dialogue on Monday. 

The government delegation included Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Adviser Rana Sanaullah, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, PPP leaders Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Naveed Qamar, and MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar. Representing PTI were former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza, and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas.

During the meeting, the government accepted PTI’s demand to consult Imran Khan, who has been incarcerated in Adiala Jail for over a year. The party is set to present its written demands in the next round of negotiations, scheduled for January 2. 

PTI leaders have insisted on a government "timeframe" for making progress on their demands. "There should be progress on our demands within [a specified] time frame," Barrister Gohar stressed while addressing journalists outside Adiala Jail following a meeting with Khan.

Separately, Adviser to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister on Information, Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, expressed scepticism regarding the seriousness of the talks. He remarked, "An activity is being carried out in the name of negotiations. However, we don’t see any apparent relief with regard to the PTI [so far]."

Saif also criticised the federal government for politicising the Kurram tribal clashes, which have claimed over 200 lives since July. He lamented the lack of federal support, stating, "It is indeed our [K-P govt’s] domain, but had the federal government also contributed to it, it would’ve led to the matter being resolved in a better way."

He cautioned that if the talks remain superficial, political tensions will persist, adding, "If they are held in a non-serious way, as their behaviour has been in the past, then the tensions would continue."