ISLAMABAD: The PTI finally presented its ‘charter of demands’ to the government in written form on Thursday, as the third round of negotiations between the two began.
Talks between the government and the PTI commenced in the last week of December to bring down political temperatures, but despite weeks of negotiations, the dialogue process has hardly moved forward on major issues — the formation of a judicial commission and the release of PTI prisoners.
Today’s meeting kicked off under the NA speaker’s oversight and was attended by six people, including three PTI leaders, from the opposition, while eight represented the government.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, PTI MNA Asad Qaiser, Sunni Ittehad Council chief Hamid Raza, Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen chief Senator Raja Nasir Abbas Jafri and PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja attended from the opposition.
Meanwhile, those representing the government included Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui, PPP MNAs Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Naveed Qamar, prime minister’s political aide Rana Sanaullah, and MQM-P MNA Dr Farooq Sattar.
PML-Z’s Ijazul Haq and Balochistan Awami Party’s Nawabzada Khalid Hussain Magsi were also present as part of the government committee.
During the meeting, the PTI formally presented its demands in written form. The three-page document, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was signed by the six opposition members who attended today’s huddle.
According to a joint press release issued afterwards, the government committee would present its formal stance on the opposition’s demands within seven working days.
The date of the next meeting would be decided after consulting both the committees, the statement said.
The opposition put forward two main demands — (i) the formation of two judicial commissions, and (ii) “support” of the federal and provincial governments in bail, sentence suspensions, and acquittals of “political prisoners” identified by the PTI.
The letter stated that the demands were presented as a “prerequisite to wider negotiations with respect to the restoration of the Constitution, the rule of law and respect for the people’s mandate, free and fair elections”.
The opposition called upon the government to “set up two Commissions of Inquiry in terms of the Commission of Inquiry Act, 2017”, demanding that they comprise the chief justice of Pakistan or three serving Supreme Court judges, mutually nominated by the PTI and the government within seven days.
“The conduct of the proceedings of the two commissions must be open to the general public as well as the media,” it added.
“The establishment of the two commissions identified in this charter is a necessary indication of seriousness of intent,” the opposition stressed.
“We shall not be able to continue with the negotiations if the two commissions sought by us are not agreed to in principle and constituted forthwith,” the letter concluded.
Besides the commissions, the PTI also called upon the federal government, as well as the governments of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan, to “support, in accordance with the law, the grant of bails or orders suspending the conviction and sentence of all political prisoners” arrested pursuant to “one or more FIRs registered with respect to any event on May 9, 2023 or any event on November 24 to 27, 2024 or any other political event anywhere”.
It stated that the prisoners, to be identified by the party, would include those “convicted and whose appeals or revisions are presently pending before a court of law”.
In the past weeks, the PML-N-led coalition and the PTI have accused each other of derailing the negotiations and lacking seriousness. A highly demanded meeting of the PTI team with party founder Imran Khan in Adiala jail on January 12 paved the way for a third round of talks.
However, tempers have flared again in recent days with the government and opposition lawmakers assailing each other’s parties in the National Assembly and Senate.
NA speaker calls for committees on economy, counterterrorism
Addressing today’s huddle, NA speaker Sadiq said he presented his two “demands” to both sides that the issues of economy and terrorism be addressed as they were public issues.
“I requested them that the entire country should also be united on a charter of economy and [the issue of] terrorism, and that some committees should also be formed on these,” Sadiq said.
He affirmed that the talks were heading in the “right direction”, noting that “nearly all” members of the two committees took part in today’s session, and tried to find the best way forward.
The NA speaker said the opposition requested another meeting with the incarcerated PTI founder, with the government assuring the former of “trying to make the path for it”.
He said both sides were trying to engage in talks with “grace and goodwill”. The NA speaker also stated that he was ready to resign from his role as the convener of the committee if anyone had any objections about it.
“Some statements gave the impression that I am not fulfilling my role correctly,” Sadiq said, adding that it was not the case.
