Written by 
ISLAMABAD – The ongoing stalemate between the government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over the negotiations ended on Wednesday as jailed former prime minister Imran Khan instructed his party to become part of the talks aimed at lowering political temperature in the country.
“Imran Khan has permitted that we should hold another meeting (with the government committee) even if the PTI committee is not allowed to meet with him,” said Chairman PTI Gohar Ali Khan while talking to reporters after his meeting with party founder Imran Khan at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.
A day earlier, PTI had accused the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led federal government of not giving an access to jailed leader Khan before the third meeting of both the government and the opposition party’s negotiations committees that is due this week.
PTI has been demanding that the government should facilitate its negotiation committee’s meeting with the party chief, calling it significant to finalise its list of demands.
The two sides, after months of a political tug-of-war, have held two sessions of talks on December 27, 2024 and January 2, 2025 to reach a consensus to lower political temperature in the country. However, the unexpected delay in the third round of talks triggered speculations about the future of the PTI-government talks.
In his media interaction, Gohar said they had a discussion with Khan over the talks issue in the presence of party lawyers. “Khan has given us permission to present our two demands in writing before the government committee,” he said, adding that the party would present its demands on the negotiation table.
The Chairman PTI further said the ex-premier had given them concession to hold another meeting with the government’s negotiation committee even if the party’s committee is not allowed to meet with him. “But we would look if a meeting is not allowed afterwards,” he added.
He noted that Khan has already dispelled any notion of a deal with the government. “We are not holding any talks for a deal but these are for the sake of the country and the nation,” he added. He underlined that they had only two demands, which included the release of all political prisoners and formation of a judicial commission to investigate the violent incidents of May 9 and November 26.
Responding to a question, Gohar said they had established a contact with the government before November 26 protest of the party in Islamabad but things could not move forward. He further said even formal talks had not started at that time and rumours that they were close to finalisation of a deal were wrong.
Separately, Imran Khan in a statement on X said the PTI would not move forward on the talks process if its demand of formation of a commission was not fulfilled in the next sitting with the government. “Our demands are fair and appropriate but the government is not serious over these,” he said. He objected that his party’s negotiation team was not being allowed to meet with him, which was his legal right.
Khan said the government was neither looking serious in searching out those PTI protestors who had gone missing during November 26 protest nor they were being presented before a court. “We have formed a committee under the chair of senior lawyer Qazi Anwar over missing workers issue,” he added.
While on the other side, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah rejected the PTI’s claim that the government is delaying the talks saying the ongoing negotiations were stalled due to the unavailability of Speaker National Ass…