ISLAMABAD: Senator Irfan Siddiqui, spokesperson for the government’s negotiation committee, has announced that the dialogue process with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has officially concluded after the former ruling party rejected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s offer to resume talks.
Speaking to the Saudi Arabian media outlet Urdu News, Senator Siddiqui emphasized that there was no deadlock or breakdown, and the government’s negotiation committee had been dissolved.
His remarks come as PTI skipped the fourth round of talks on January 28, citing the government’s failure to establish a judicial commission to investigate the May 9 riots and the November 2024 Islamabad protest, as outlined in PTI’s written charter of demands.
Talks between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led government and PTI began in late December following months of heightened political tensions. The two sides held three rounds of negotiations on December 27, 2024, January 2, 2025, and January 16, 2025. However, the process stalled when PTI first announced that its incarcerated founder, Imran Khan, had called off the talks, only to later clarify that they were merely put on hold.
After PTI skipped the fourth session, the Prime Minister offered to form a parliamentary committee to continue negotiations, but PTI rejected this offer.
“We reject Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s offer to resume dialogue,” said National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub while speaking on Geo News’ program Capital Talk.
Meanwhile, the government has also dismissed speculations of “ongoing backdoor talks” between PTI and the establishment.
Contrary to Siddiqui’s statement regarding the dissolution of the negotiation committee, sources told Geo News on Saturday that National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has decided to retain it. The NA Secretariat has not yet denotified either of the committees.
Lamenting PTI’s inconsistent stance on talks, Senator Siddiqui remarked that PTI entered negotiations hastily and withdrew just as quickly. He stated that PTI’s written demands were meant to build trust, and the government had considered several of them.
“We didn’t outright reject the demand for a judicial commission,” he clarified. “Our legal experts advised that a judicial commission couldn’t be formed for cases already in court.”
He added that instead of outright rejection, the government had suggested that PTI consult their lawyers and share their perspective, so that a common ground could be found.
Siddiqui further disclosed that the government had created a working paper, not a final draft, as part of confidence-building measures with PTI. “This document was open for revision and negotiation, but PTI walked away from the talks,” he noted.
Criticizing PTI’s approach, Senator Siddiqui said that the party focuses on protests, violence, and intimidation rather than engaging in meaningful negotiations and agreements.
Referring to PTI’s demands for the release of its leaders and workers, he revealed that the party had requested the release of Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Omar Cheema, Ejaz Chaudhry, Yasmeen Rashid, and Mahmood Rashid.
He clarified that while these names were not presented in writing, they were verbally mentioned as individuals for whom PTI sought assistance in securing their release.
“They also demanded the release of other prisoners, which was their only request,” he said, stressing that there was no other way for these individuals to be freed.
