PML-N Senator Siddiqui Says Issues Arise When “Too Many Conditions” Are Attached to Meeting with Imran
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the government are at an impasse over obstacles in arranging a meeting with the incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan. PTI has warned that the talks will collapse if a judicial commission to investigate the events of May 9, 2023, and November 26 is not formed after the third round of negotiations.
PTI’s Key Demands and Stalemate in Talks
Sahibzada Hamid Raza, the chief of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) and a member of the PTI negotiation team, stated that a fourth round of talks would be unlikely if the government did not accept their demand for a judicial commission. Earlier, PTI had presented two main demands: the release of all “political prisoners” and the formation of a judicial commission to probe the incidents of May 9 and November 26.
In the second round of talks, PTI pushed for more frequent meetings with party founder Imran Khan to finalize a “charter of demands.” However, PTI has not yet submitted these demands in writing to the government. The PTI leadership had awaited a message from Imran Khan before proceeding with the formal submission of demands.
Negotiation Team’s Situation and Government’s Response
Raza stated that if PTI’s negotiation committee had not received Imran’s message, they would have called off the talks. He further added that the government had initially claimed they had no demands, and if they want PTI’s demands in writing, they should also give a written statement confirming they have no demands.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Irfan Siddiqui admitted that the government should have ensured the meeting with Imran Khan took place. However, he noted that too many conditions attached to the meeting had caused problems. He also suggested that even one person could meet Imran to inform him of the situation.
