ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has expressed willingness to extend the deadline for talks with the government beyond the January 31 deadline, Dawn reported.
Earlier in December, the PTI leadership announced the ultimatum following a meeting with the imprisoned PTI founder Imran Khan. So far, the committees established by the PTI and the government have held two rounds of dialogue, according to Dawn report.
The first meeting between the government and the PTI took place on December 23 while the second took place on January 2.
The PTI has demanded the release of Khan and other party leaders who have been kept in prison and a judicial probe into May 9, 2023 and November 26, 2024 protests. The dialogue between two sides apparently hit a snag since the last meeting on January 2, with reports that both sides could not see eye to eye on the modalities of the talks, with PTI demanding “unmonitored” access to Khan in prison becoming a new subject of disagreement.
As the deadline given by Imran Khan-founded party was 20 days away, there were fears that dialogue would break down. However, PTI leader Shibli Faraz said talks could take place after January 31 and it was “not a big deal.” He made these remarks while speaking on DawnNewsTV programme Dusra Rukh.
In his remarks on the programme aired on Friday, Faraz said, “The deadline is still 20 days away, and by that time, it would become clearer which way the dialogues are headed,” Dawn reported. He noted that a few days extension in the deadline won’t be much of an issue in case of “positive developments” in talks.
Earlier this week, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Khan has said that the party will engage in the third round of talks with the government, The Express Tribune reported.
Speaking to reporters outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, Gohar Khan said that PTI founder Imran Khan has asked the party to present their demands in writing to the government. He said Imran Khan had allowed the PTI to hold talks with the government even if they could not meet him directly. Gohar Khan said that PTI will reassess the situation if the negotiation committee is not allowed to meet Imran Khan in the future.
He expressed PTI’s commitment to engage in talks and said that the party would ensure that their demands were clearly conveyed, according to The Express Tribune report. He further mentioned that PTI has two primary demands, which do not need to be presented in writing.
He stated that PTI does not want these demands to be used as leverage for any deal. He reiterated that there is no ongoing deal as both PTI and Imran Khan have rejected such suggestions, making it clear that the discussions are not linked to any deal-making.
The PTI chairman stressed that Imran Khan-founded party is open to hold talks with the government for the benefit of the nation. He said the discussions will be focused on the establishment of a commission and the release of PTI workers.