Imran-founded party's new demands could derail talks, warns govt

Irked by the PTI’s fresh demands — “Imran Khan’s release via executive order and inclusion of real decision-makers in talks”, PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui on Sunday warned that the PTI’s changing stance could jeopardise the ongoing dialogue process in the country.

After months of a tug-of-war, the coalition government at the Centre and the embattled PTI finally sat down on December 23, 2024, to defuse tensions, with the Khan-founded party initially putting forth just two demands: the release of all political prisoners and a judicial probe into the events of May 9 and November 26.

Speaking to journalists, the PML-N senator said the former ruling party had yet to submit a written list of demands to the government’s team, despite assurances given by the PTI during the first round of talks last month.

Reacting to a recent statement by senior PTI leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, the senator remarked, "It seems the PTI leadership is not on the same page regarding sharing their demands in writing with the government."

Senator Siddiqui noted that Qaiser’s latest comments suggested he was struggling to fulfil promises and assurances made to the government’s team during the previous two rounds of negotiations.

A day earlier, Qaiser, a member of PTI’s negotiation committee, revealed that the party had urged the government to involve “the stakeholder” in the dialogue process, stating that “it is yet to be seen what those with real decision-making powers are thinking.”

Reacting to the statement, PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui noted that PTI had not raised this demand in the previous two rounds of talks. “The dialogue process won’t move forward positively if PTI keeps changing its stance,” he said.

Meanwhile, Qaiser, speaking to a private TV channel, said that PTI’s demands were clear and described submitting them in writing as “just a formality.”

He added that clarity would emerge in the third round of talks, expected this week.

The PTI leader stressed prioritising the national interest in the upcoming negotiations and urged the need for sincerity and avoiding hasty decisions. “[We] are giving time to the government’s team to consult with all the stakeholders,” he said.

Qaiser also urged the treasury team to engage with all stakeholders to eliminate any ambiguity in the final decision and called for PTI’s leadership, beyond the party founder, to be included in the discussions.

Speaking to Geo News, Qaiser clarified that PTI had no intention of derailing the negotiation process. He reiterated that the party entered the talks to make significant positive decisions.