Govt to resume talks with PTI on Dec 7

ISLAMABAD: The federal government will formally resume its negotiations with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on December 7, a day before Imran Khan’s party is set to begin its campaign of city lockdowns, a senior cabinet member confirmed on Thursday.

A technical committee, headed by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, is being considered within the ruling party, The Express Tribune learnt.

In a chat with a selected group of journalists in his National Assembly chamber, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan confirmed the decision to restart talks with the PTI.

Chaudhry Nisar pointed out that the dialogue process would begin — upon the PTI’s repeated request — once the prime minister returns from his official trip to Britain. The government, he said, would try to give a positive response to PTI’s appeal for talks.

Well-placed sources in the PML-N said that PM Sharif, who will return from the UK on December 6, will call on not only the party’s senior leadership but also all the parliamentary heads of several political parties in the National Assembly to discuss both the resumption as well as the agenda of the talks with the PTI.

They said all the political parties will set a minimum agenda of the talks for the PTI committee and both committees will start their first meeting on December 7.

The agenda is expected to cover the terms of reference for forming a judicial commission to probe the rigging in 2013 elections.

The minister said that Dar had earlier telephoned him and they both voiced relief over the consensual naming of Justice (retd) Sardar Muhammad Raza as chief election commissioner.

Sources said that though the government and allied political parties are willing to talk to Imran Khan they want to push his party into a corner. This is in stark contrast to the ruling party’s position two months ago.

Apparently the PML-N leadership has acquired inside information that the PTI’s deadline of December 6 for talks is Imran Khan’s face-saving strategy to withdraw his call for the proposed lockdowns of cities, the sources stated. This week Imran announced that his party would paralyse Faisalabad on December 8, Karachi on December 12, Lahore on December 15 and the entire country on December 18.

Sources close to the PTI said that the party leadership has criticised Imran Khan for his announcement to hold a strike in major cities of the country. Leaders of the party in Punjab sent out their feedback on the proposed lockdown in their December 3 meeting in Lahore.

PTI Punjab President Ejaz Chaudhry told Imran Khan that there is little enthusiasm in the party to shut down Faisalabad on December 8.

Imran Khan was also told that businessmen and traders of the city are supporting the PML-N due to its policy of indirect taxation.

The sources said that the PTI Punjab leadership and the party central working committee urged Imran to review his decision of a shutterdown strike as it might not be successful like his earlier calls for civil disobedience and appeals not to pay bills.

Earlier, Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal said if Imran Khan gives the mandate to his negotiating team only then would dialogue be fruitful between the government and his party.

“Why have Lahore, Karachi and Faisalabad been chosen for the shutdown,” Iqbal questioned, alleging these cities generate more than 80% exports for the country.


Published in The Express Tribune, December 5^th, 2014.