'Directed by Imran Khan not to compromise on basic demands'

PESHAWAR: With negotiations finally commencing between the government the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the Imran Khan-founded party's information secretary has said that incarcerated the ex-premier has directed them not to compromise on their basic demands in the parleys.

The party's two primary demands, Sheikh Waqas Akram reiterated while speaking to Geo News, were release of all political prisoners, including Khan, and the formation of a judicial commission for investigating the May 9 riots and the November 26 incident.

Noting that the incarcerated prime minister had directed him, Chairman Barrister Gohar and Secretary General Salman Akram Raja to speak on global issues, the PTI leader said that the party would consider revoking its civil disobedience call — currently deferred — if it sees that the government was serious in the ongoing dialogue.

His remarks come as after months of heightened political tensions, the PTI and the government finally held their first round of dialogue on Monday.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, PM's Adviser Rana Sanaullah, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, PPP leaders Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Naveed Qamar, and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Farooq Sattar.

Meanwhile, the PTI was represented by former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza, and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Allama Raja Nasir Abbas.

The first round of talks ended with the government accepting the former ruling party's demand to consult its incarcerated party founder who has been behind bars in Adiala Jail for more than a year.

With the PTI set to present its written demands in the next round of talks due on January 2, the Khan-founded party has doubled down on the party's stance and has sought the government's "timeframe" in connection with progress on their demands.

"There should be progress on our demands within [a specified] time frame," Barrister Gohar said while talking to journalists outside Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail, following a meeting with Khan.

The current government-PTI talks are being held following the latter's last month's announcement of a civil disobedience movement if their aforementioned demands were not met.

No relief for PTI

Separately, speaking on Geo News' programme "Geo Pakistan", Adviser to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister on Information Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif also underscored the need for seriousness in the PTI-govt parleys.

"An activity is being carried out in the name of negotiations. However, we don't see any apparent relief with regard to the PTI [so far]," said Saif.

The KP government's spokesperson further remarked: "I believe if talks are held seriously it might bring some stability to [country's] politics".

"But if they are held in a non-serious way, as their [govt] behaviour had been in the past, then the [prevailing] tensions would continue," he warned.

Slamming the federal government's allies for point scoring and politicising the Kurram situation — where more than 200 people have died since July due to tribal clashes — the KP CM's adviser lamented that no positive step had been taken by the Centre.

"It is indeed our [KP govt's] domain, but had the federal government also contributed to it, it would’ve led to the matter being resolved in a better way," he noted.