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ISLAMABAD – The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday threatened to withdraw from the ongoing negotiations with the government if separate judicial commissions were not formed within seven days to probe the violent incidents of May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024.
Talking to reporters outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, Chairman PTI Gohar Ali Khan said that they would not participate in the fourth round of talks with the government, on the instructions of jailed party leader Imran Khan, if the judicial commissions were not formed within the stipulated time.
He stressed that the establishment of judicial commissions was critical for meaningful dialogue between the government and the PTI.
“If the government does not move forward on forming the commission, there are no chances that the negotiations will continue,” he said.
Gohar also advised Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Irfan Siddiqui, the spokesperson for the government’s negotiation committee, not to disrupt the dialogue between the government and the opposition.
“Siddiqui should not derail the talks by turning minor issues into major controversies,” he said.
Last week, Senator Siddiqui in a statement had said PTI should choose between the open dialogue and the backdoor talks as both cannot go side by side.
He had said this after Gohar had confirmed that Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur and he (Gohar) met with Army Chief General Asim Munir in Peshawar, indicating that the PTI had directly opened backdoor talks with the establishment.
“Imran Khan has made it clear that the fourth meeting will only happen if the commissions are formed within the deadline,” the Chairman PTI said in his talk, noting that the PTI was committed to holding a dialogue with the government.
He emphasized the ruling coalition to focus on dialogue for the country’s benefit, calling for patience and mutual understanding.
It may be noted here that the former ruling party is currently in talks with the federal government on its demands, which include the release of its founder Imran Khan and other PTI leaders and supporters from jail.
The party had presented its demands to the government’s negotiations committee in writing, seeking probes into May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024 events, as well as the release of “political prisoners”, in a third round of parleys held on January 16.
The PTI’s ‘Charter of Demands’ also mentions that if the government fails to constitute two separate commissions on the violent events, the party will not continue the negotiations.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had formed a committee comprising members from all ruling parties to review demands submitted by the major opposition party. The development was confirmed by PM’s aide on political affairs Rana Sanaullah last week.