The PTI finally presented its 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.
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.
Today’s meeting kicked off under the NA speaker’s oversight and is being attended by six people, including three PTI leaders, from the opposition, while eight are representing 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 are attending from the opposition.
Meanwhile, those representing the government include 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.
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, is signed by the six opposition members who attended today’s huddle.
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 PTI 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.
Commission on May 9 riots
In its demands, the PTI asked that the first commission be tasked to conduct an in-depth inquiry into various aspects, including the “legality of the events that led” to Imran’s arrest on May 9, 2023.
It further sought a probe into the “legality of the manner of the arrest and those responsible for the break-in into the premises of the Islamabad High Court by the rangers and the police”.
Referring to the nationwide violent protests that occurred on May 9 last year, it asked that the “events across the country after Imran’s arrest” be also inquired into.
The PTI specifically asked for a probe into the “circumstances in which groups of individuals were able to reach various high security locations at which damage to property is said to have been caused”. It sought “examination of the CCTV recordings at each location where damage is said to have been caused by protesters”..
Moreover, the party said that if the CCTV footage is “not available, the causes of this lack of availability” be investigated into as well.
Since Imran’s incarceration last year based on several cases, his party’s relationship with the government, as well as the establishment, has turned exceedingly sour. The PTI has held several protests over the last year, most of which escalated into violence after facing state repression.
Following the PTI’s ‘Final Call’ power show last month, tensions escalated as there were renewed calls to ban the party and task forces formed against an alleged “malicious campaign” as the PTI claimed a dozen deaths of its supporters, which the government officially denies.
However, after Imran formed a five-member committee to hold talks with “anyone” and his lawmakers had a softened stance in the parliament, the government constituted its own committee comprising ruling coalition members.
