Govt, PTI kick off second round of talks ahead of Oct 4 long march

The second round of talks between the government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) began on Saturday, with National Assembly (NA) Speaker Ayaz Sadiq chairing the session, according to a statement issued by the National Assembly on X.

A day earlier, the first round of talks between the government and opposition concluded with the two sides deciding to meet again on Saturday (today) in the NA speaker’s chamber. The negotiations come amid continued tensions after PTI’s announcement of a long march towards Islamabad on September 27 that was rescheduled to October 4. Currently, the standoff between the federal and provincial governments remains unresolved.

The speaker, in a statement, said the previous day’s session was held in a “very cordial atmosphere” and expressed hope that all sides would continue the dialogue in the same spirit.

Sadiq also thanked members of the government, PPP and opposition for participating in the talks.

As per the statement, Federal Ministers Engineer Ameer Muqam, Mohsin Naqvi and Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Minister of State Talal Chaudhry and Prime Minister’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah are representing the government during the meeting. Furthermore, the PPP delegation comprises Senator Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar and Ijaz Hussain Jakhrani.

On the other hand, PTI is represented by Barrister Gohar Khan, Raja Nasir Abbas, Aamer Dogar, Asad Qaiser and Haleem Adil Sheikh, along with Salman Akram Raja, according to the NA’s statement.

The talks are being held as part of efforts by the government, PPP, and the opposition to engage in dialogue on matters of political importance.

Read: Govt, opposition conclude first round of talks ahead of PTI’s Oct 4 march

On Friday, the NA spokesperson revealed that detailed discussions were conducted on the country’s political situation, with the government, PPP, and opposition apprising each other of their respective positions. However, the first round of talks ended without a conclusive decision from either quarter. The parties also refrained from mudslinging in accordance with an agreement reached during the talks.

Defence Minister alleges PTI, KP govt supporting unrest

Earlier in the day, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif questioned whether the PTI and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government hired terrorists to spread sedition, riots and chaos under the guise of protests on October 4.

He made these remarks in connection with a video he shared on X alleging that PTI’s social media accounts shared footage showing non-custom-paid vehicles from Waziristan.

In a statement shared on social media, he further alleged that “unemployed young men” were paid and sent around the camps of police and security forces to spread unrest, adding that some of them might not even have identity cards.

“Now, if these ignorant fools attack any government institution tomorrow, just like it happened in the past, and the police or forces disperse them in self-defence, then will the narrative against the state be built from the ready social media accounts sitting there, just like before?” The defence minister posed a question.

He also asked why the cops were not checking the convoy to determine whether the people travelling in the vehicles were terrorists with covered faces or ordinary citizens, and whether the non-custom-paid vehicles were carrying weapons or explosive materials.

Furthermore, he questioned who was providing the people travelling in the convoy with what he described as Rs10 million a day for the vehicles, food, drinks and other expenses, particularly in an area such as Waziristan where poverty and unemployment were prevalent.

“Isn't this the same smuggling money that is used for terrorism?” he concluded in his post.

Before the second round of talks with the government, PTI leader Asad Qaiser assailed the defence minister for his statement.

In a post on X shared by Qaiser, he said the tone and manner in which Khawaja Asif spoke in the tweet was "extremely inappropriate".

However, he reiterated the resolve to end the deadlock with the government.

"There are ups and downs during negotiations; we have our own position, and they have theirs. We want meaningful negotiations and for matters to be resolved peacefully," he responded to a question regarding the way forward for peace. 

He further highlighted that the PTI delegation had kept the political committee and core committee on board for the ongoing consultation with the ruling coalition.