PTI abruptly calls off talks with govt

No progress on commissions angers Imran PTI insists on May 9, Nov 26 investigations Siddiqui says govt deadline

ISLAMABAD

The much-needed negotiations between the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) came to a screeching halt on Thursday after PTI founder Imran Khan called off talks with the ruling coalition for not constituting judicial commissions to probe the May 9 and November 26 incidents within the stipulated time.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan made the announcement after he met party's founding chairman at garrison city's Adiala Jail, saying Khan ended talks with the ruling parties after they failed to constitute judicial commissions within seven days -- a decision termed 'unfortunate' and a deadline contested by the government side on the basis of a previous joint statement, saying it should be reviewed.

While talking to the media, Barrister Gohar said that PTI founder has categorically announced that no further rounds of negotiations will take place as the government has allegedly failed to follow through on its commitments and left no reason to continue talks if the commissions are not formed by January 23 (Thursday night).

The PTI's demands included forming two judicial commissions to investigate the May 9 riots and events during protests in November 2024 as well as releasing political prisoners, including Imran Khan. Gohar said that the judicial commissions must be composed of three senior judges from the Supreme Court or high courts, with proceedings open to the public and media, saying this could help continuing talks.

Following PTI's decision, the spokesperson for the government's negotiation committee Senator Irfan Siddiqui said the deadline was still not over as it was agreed in last meeting that the government side would respond to PTI's charter of demands within "seven working days" and not in just seven days.

The negotiation committee's spokesperson said that it was decided in the third round of talks between the two sides that the government committee will submit its response within seven working days, which he said ends on January 28.

The senator while emphasizing that the government committee was diligently working to prepare its response said that PTI was going back with the same eagerness with which it came for holding talks with the ruling alliance, adding "we ask them to wait for a while" and review the decision.

Reiterating that PTI must review its decision, Siddiqui said that PTI took 42 days in submitting its charter of demands but was demanding government side's response within a week, wondering why it couldn't wait for just five more days.

Siddiqui said that Gohar and Omar Ayub, opposition leader in the National Assembly, shouldn't refuse talks as issues are resolved only via talks. As oppose to Khan's statement, he said, Gohar and Ayub should form their own opinion about talks, if they can.

He said that the government continued talks despite Khan's hard-hitting statements posted on X, saying the government side never objected to such things and its negotiation committee was still intact.

Commenting on rumors that the government was not willing to constitute commissions, Siddiqui said that the PTI committee should have at least listened to government's written response in the next meeting as the government side never said that it won't constitute judicial commissions.

Following the PTI's refusal, he said that the government's committee will sit and decide about the future course of action on Friday.

Both sides had sat across the table on December 23, 2024, to discuss long-standing issues and find a way forward. Since then, the committees have met thrice. As per government's demand, PTI had submitted its charter of demand in the third meeting on January 16 and was waiting for its response.

The talks were aimed at bringing political and economic stability in the country by settling long-standing issues between the two sides. However, both sides have now disputed on the deadline and, resultantly, the process has come to an abrupt end.

Meanwhile, slamming the PTI for calling off the negotiations, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that the government was mulling a "middle ground" and the formation of a committee instead of a judicial commission in light of the former ruling party's demand.

"It is not necessary to constitute a commission...we were deliberating on a middle ground to take things forward," the minister said while speaking to a private news channel.