Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, has ruled out the possibility of resuming talks between the former ruling party and the incumbent government.
“The chapter of talks is now closed,” Ayub stated on Saturday, emphasizing that political negotiations are not based on mere wishes but require firm commitments, which the government failed to demonstrate.
Criticizing the coalition government’s approach to negotiations, the senior PTI leader said that his party’s committee had initiated discussions in good faith. However, the other side neither displayed goodwill nor seriousness, leading to a deadlock.
His remarks come amid stalled negotiations between PTI and the government, which began in late December following months of political tensions. Despite holding three sessions, no significant progress was made.
PTI refused to participate in the fourth round of talks, citing the government’s failure to form a judicial commission to probe the May 9 riots and the November 2024 protests.
Since then, the Imran Khan-founded party has hinted at agitation and recently held a rally in Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Saturday to observe ‘Black Day’ against alleged rigging in the last general elections.
With the future of dialogue uncertain, a spokesman for the National Assembly clarified that Speaker Ayaz Sadiq had not formally invited PTI for negotiations but merely stated that, as the custodian of the House, his doors remain open to all members.
Responding to Omar Ayub’s statement, the spokesman said a formal invitation for talks would only be extended if requested by either the government or the opposition. He reiterated that the speaker’s role was to facilitate dialogue and that both his chamber and residence remain accessible to all lawmakers.
Separately, echoing Ayub’s stance on the negotiations, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Irfan Siddiqui stated that the government’s negotiation committee had become “practically non-functional and ineffective.”
In a statement on X, Siddiqui noted that whether or not the committee was formally dissolved, it was already non-operational. He said PTI unilaterally withdrew from the negotiation process and later rejected the prime minister’s offer to reconsider their stance.
The senator accused PTI of returning to its “home ground of violent protests” and suggested that if the party later decides to re-engage in talks, the government may reassess its options at that time.
Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has clarified that the party is not seeking intervention from any country, including the United States, for the release of its founder.
“We are not asking any country, including the US, for Khan’s release. He has made no deal and will not make any deal,” Gohar stated.
He further added, “As Khan himself said, we are negotiating not for a deal but for Pakistan and democracy.”
