Govt-Opp talks: PTI seeks time to present charter of demands

The talks between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the government will continue for a week, Senator Irfan Siddiqui said on Thursday.

 “We were expecting the charter of demands from the PTI," he told the media after the meeting.

The opposition presented its point of view in detail and demanded the release of Imran and other PTI leaders and supporters, along with a judicial commission on the events of May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024, he added

He said the party also requested that it be allowed to meet Imran in Adiala Jail to consult him on the final charter of demands.

He said that as per the PTI, Imran had given his permission to begin the talks and thus his instructions were necessary for their continuation.

“The PTI said that the charter of demands will be presented in the next meeting in definitive written form.”

Siddiqui said FM Dar told the opposition that the government had no issue with the PTI committee meeting Imran for consultation on demands.

He added: “The PTI asked for a week for consultation. Demands are expected to come out in the coming meeting

“The ball is in PTI's court. Continuation of negotiations is a big step.

“It has already been decided that cases and other factors will not be given importance.

“There is no precedent for the release of prisoners by any executive order.”

He continued: “The government has not demanded the withdrawal of the call for civil disobedience.

“The government can consult on the demand for the release of the founder

“The PTI did not talk about the general elections and the 26th Amendment

“There was no talk of releasing the founder of PTI on parole and engaging in negotiations

National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq presided over the second meeting of the government and opposition negotiation committee.
Speaking on the occasion, he said his role is that of a mediator, and he is trying to ensure that problems the committee take up matters like terrorism. We are all Pakistanis and, it is our responsibility to solve Pakistan's problems. We will all have to play our part to solve our problems."

“The issues discussed in the first committee meeting have been addressed," he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, Rana Sanaullah, Irfan Siddiqui, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Syed Naveed Qamar, Farooq Sattar, Ijazul Haq, Khalid Hussain Magsi, Abdul Aleem Khan, Omar Ayub Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Asad Qaiser, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Raja Nasir Abbas, and Salman Akram Raja attended the meeting.

Speaking to the media, Naveed Qamar said that today's meeting was positive as both sides adopted a constructive attitude. He noted, however, that the PTI did not present its demands in writing during the meeting. "Hopefully, written demands will be given in the next meeting," he added.

Speaking to reporters before the meeting, Ayub said, “Our agenda for the negotiations is clear.”

He termed the negotiations necessary and said the PTI would present its points.

“Negotiations will happen. We will know the intentions of the government. We will see what happens,” he added.

The opposition leader continued: “We need to sit and talk with them, we’re politicians, not a commando force. This is a Form 47 government, we are talking with them out of necessity.”

“We will talk to them without prejudice to our stance.”