ISLAMABAD: The first round of talks between the government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ended on Friday, with both sides agreeing to resume negotiations on Saturday.
Talking to reporters after the talks concluded, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that the talks were held in a “good atmosphere” and that both sides had informed each other of their respective positions.
“We have informed the government about our demands,” Gohar said, adding that PTI hoped the talks would continue on Saturday.
He said the negotiations were different from those held in the past.
Barrister Gohar said the ongoing talks were different from previous negotiations and were moving in the right direction.
He expressed hope that the negotiations would produce a positive outcome.
Opposition Leader in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said that the talks would resume at 2pm on Saturday at Parliament House.
Talking to the reporters, he said that said that Friday’s round of talks went very well, adding that the opposition presented its position to the government and was heard.
He said that the government had also been given an opportunity to reconsider the issues under discussion.
When asked about the opposition’s demands, he said that they had been discussed previously.
He said that PTI leaders should be allowed to meet the party’s founder Imran Khan who has health issues, adding that meetings with him had been stopped and that he should be granted his rights under jail rules.
Allama Nasir said that there were some other demands that he did not want to disclose at this stage.
He said the two sides would return to the negotiating table on Saturday.
According to sources, the opposition has demanded implementation of the Supreme Court’s August 18 order regarding the transfer of former prime minister Imran Khan to hospital.
The government, meanwhile, has formally asked PTI to postpone or call off its planned October 4 long march, sources said.
The government also assured the opposition that the court’s order regarding Imran Khan would be implemented, according to the sources.
Opposition leaders have also decided to take their party leadership into confidence before proceeding further with the negotiations on Saturday, the sources said.
The meeting on Friday took place amid heightened tensions between the federal government and the PTI KP government over the security situation and the party’s planned October 4 long march on Islamabad.
The federal government has been considering various constitutional and legal options, including emergency measures and governor’s rule, although no formal decision on either measure had been announced yet.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Opposition Leader in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and PTI leaders Asad Qaiser, Salman Akram Raja, Amir Dogar and Haleem Adil Sheikh represented the joint opposition, while Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, PM’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry and Pakistan People’s Party Senator Sherry Rehman represented the government.
The talks took place following a decision taken by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif a day earlier, when both leaders agreed to engage with the PTI to defuse political tensions.
President Zardari and Prime Minister Sharif on Thursday discussed the overall political and security situation in the country, with particular focus on the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to an official statement from the President’s House, the president and the prime minister decided that a joint delegation of the federal government and the Pakistan Peoples Party would meet PTI leaders on Friday to discuss the prevailing political situation.
The two leaders also stressed the need to further strengthen the national resolve against terrorism and emphasised effective coordination among relevant institutions to ensure peace and stability in the country.
Earlier, in a post on X, Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Aain Pakistan (TTAP) stated that talks with the government committee were under way, with opposition led by the opposition leader in Senate.
Talking to reporters during the break for Friday prayers, Allama Nasir Abbas said that the government was responsible for resolving the ongoing political crisis through negotiations.
Allama Nasir, who is taking part in the negotiation on behalf of the joint opposition led by the PTI, stressed that talks so far held between the two sides should remain confidential.
“Things discussed during negotiations are confidential,” Allama Nasir said.
He said that even major crises could be resolved through dialogue, adding that it was now up to the government to determine how it wanted to salvage the ongoing talks.
“The government needs to show how serious it is about the ongoing negotiations,” he said.
The opposition leader said that it was the government’s responsibility to restore peace and end the prevailing crises and uncertainty.
He stressed that the government should approach the talks with sincerity and good intentions to find a way out of the current situation.
Allama Nasir also said that the PTI’s October 4 long march remained intact and could not be called off at this stage.
Earlier, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry met National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Friday to discuss the political and law-and-order situation.
PTI entering talks “in good faith”
Earlier, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan said the party was ready to talk to the government “in good faith” despite its demands not having been accepted so far.
“Every political party has its own political objectives. Our demands have not been accepted, but today we are going to meet the government in good faith and without any conditions,” he told reporters.
Gohar said the country’s ongoing political issues could be resolved if PTI was given justice.
“If we get justice, it will be possible to resolve the issues,” he said, reiterating that the party was approaching the government with sincerity.
Long march’s fate tied to outcome of talks
Gohar said that the government’s approach during the negotiations would determine PTI’s future course of action regarding its proposed long march, signalling that the party’s next steps hinge directly on how the talks unfold.
Commenting on reports regarding the possible imposition of emergency or grovernor’s rule, Barrister Gohar expressed disappointment over a recent statement by a minister on the matter, saying such discussion was concerning even in the absence of a PTI long march.
He also condemned terrorism, saying any militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or elsewhere in the country was harmful to Pakistan.
“Whether terrorism takes place in our province or in any other part of the country, it is a loss for Pakistan,” he said. “We, and our government, are against terrorism under all circumstances.”
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