By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the main opposition party, has announced a boycott of the upcoming round of talks with the government due to delays in forming judicial commissions to probe two violent political incidents, PTI leaders confirmed on Friday.
The negotiations aimed to de-escalate political tensions following the ousting of PTI’s founder, Imran Khan, in April 2022. The talks sought to resolve issues such as establishing judicial bodies to investigate violence on May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024, and releasing PTI members held in custody.
Despite three rounds of talks, little progress had been made on key issues, including forming judicial commissions and releasing PTI prisoners. The fourth round of talks was scheduled for January 28.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan announced the end of negotiations at a press conference outside Parliament House. “The stipulated days have passed, but the government has not announced the formation of judicial commissions even after the deadline passed yesterday,” Khan said.
Khan criticized the government’s inaction, saying, “We presented them with simple demands during negotiations. What was wrong with announcing the formation of a judicial commission?”
Khan stated that PTI’s founder had approved negotiations despite a “long charge sheet” against him and the party. “The government was not serious at any stage,” Khan added.
“If the government announced the formation of a commission comprising three senior-most judges of the Supreme Court (SC) or high court anytime today then PTI will continue talks, otherwise, there will be no dialogue with the government,” he said while quoting the former PM.
Senator Irfan Siddiqui, a government representative, urged PTI to reconsider its decision. “I cannot understand the reason for PTI’s threat to abandon talks,” he said, noting that the deadline for a governmental response had not yet passed.
Siddiqui described PTI’s approach as overly hasty. “They were in a hurry to arrive and are in a hurry to depart. We ask them to stay some days and not go back; let the weather become pleasant.”
Siddiqui suggested that the coalition was close to a consensus on PTI’s charter of demands and encouraged the opposition to reconsider or submit formal complaints for further discussion. “They should reconsider if it is in their power and if they can form an opinion apart from their founder’s opinion.”
Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq summoned on Friday the fourth meeting between the government and the opposition party on January 28.
Speaker Sadiq, who has been facilitating negotiations between both sides, has summoned the session at 11:45pm at the Parliament House Committee Room, as per a notification released by the National Assembly Secretariat.
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