ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government and opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party agreed to hold the third round of talks on Thursday to ease political tension in the country, according to an official statement on Monday.
A notice issued by the National Assembly (NA) Secretariat said NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq would preside over the session at 11.30 am in the Parliament House.
Pakistan has been in the grip of political turmoil since the elections were held on February 8 last year when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) refused to accept the result and held several protests against the polls’ alleged rigging and the continuous detention of the party’s top leader Imran Khan.
A protest launched by the party on November 26 resulted in violence, forcing the two sides to come forward for talks to settle some of the contentious issues.
The first round was held on December 23, followed by the second on January 2. The two sides had agreed to meet again for the third time, but differences propped up over the issue of meetings between the PTI leaders and Khan.
Finally, the meeting was arranged on Sunday, and the PTI announced its return to the negotiating table.
The party already demanded the release of all political prisoners, including Khan, and the formation of a judicial commission to probe incidents of May 9.