ISLAMABAD: After a highly anticipated meeting with imprisoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, the former ruling party announced on Sunday its readiness to engage in a third round of negotiations with the coalition government to ease the country’s political strife.
During a joint press conference with PTI senior leaders Omar Ayub Khan and Asad Qaiser, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, head of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) and spokesperson for the negotiation team, urged the government to address their demands in the forthcoming talks.
He called for the formation of an “impartial judicial commission” led by a senior Supreme Court judge to investigate the incidents of May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024.
Talking to journalists, Raza declared, “We are poised for the third round of discussions.” He urged the government’s negotiation team to prioritize the establishment of a judicial commission ahead of the next talks.
“To date, there has been no progress in our negotiations,” he stressed, highlighting the urgent need for the government to fulfill their requests, particularly the formation of the judicial commission.
Raza underscored that the release of political prisoners and the creation of this commission were non-negotiable elements of their demands. He mentioned that PTI plans to formally submit these two requests in writing during the upcoming session.
He cautioned that if the judicial commission isn’t set up, the discussions would come to a halt, and PTI would not extend the deadline for talks beyond January 31. “Produce the CCTV footage if you claim PTI is responsible for the May 9 violence,” he challenged.
When asked about their meeting with Khan, Raza noted it took place in a “controlled environment” and that they received clearance for the meeting late Saturday night.
Raza also noted that the ruling in the £190 million corruption case might foster resentment; however, Khan had instructed them to make sure that the verdict would not interfere with the ongoing negotiations. Emphasizing the importance of tangible actions, he asserted that their demands were “fair and achievable.”