PTI boycotts fourth round of talks over delay in judicial commission

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to skip the fourth round of negotiations with the government, a day after Imran Khan, the party’s founder, instructed the suspension of talks due to the delay in forming judicial commissions.

The National Assembly Speaker, Ayaz Sadiq, had scheduled the meeting for January 28 at 11:45 am, as per the NA Secretariat’s notification. Sadiq was set to chair the talks, with PTI members invited to attend. However, the party has chosen to withdraw from the proceedings.

At a press conference held outside the Parliament House, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, flanked by senior party members Omar Ayub Khan, Shibli Faraz, and Ali Mohammad Khan, explained that although Imran Khan initially approved negotiations despite ongoing charges against the party, the lack of action on the government’s part regarding the judicial commissions led to the decision to suspend talks.

Gohar criticised the government’s failure to meet the agreed deadline for announcing the commissions, which had passed the previous day. He questioned the government’s commitment, saying, “We had simple demands, and yet they failed to act on announcing the judicial commission.”

Additionally, Gohar expressed frustration over the swift passage of legislation in Parliament, with eight laws approved in only 11 minutes. He pointed out that 37 bills had been passed without proper debate, with many rejected by the President.

Comparing this to parliamentary practices in other countries, he called out the lack of thorough discussion, especially in contrast to India’s longer parliamentary sessions.

Earlier in the day, Barrister Gohar Ali said that talks with the government have been put on hold by party founder Imran Khan due to the government’s failure to meet party’s demands.

Speaking to the media, Gohar explained that the PTI had made two specific demands, but no action had been taken to establish judicial commissions within the agreed seven-day timeframe.

“Imran Khan put the talks on hold, but the government could at least announce that the commission is in the works,” he said while talking to reporters.

Despite multiple rounds of negotiations, talks between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the government have made little progress on critical issues, including the formation of judicial commissions and the release of PTI prisoners.

The two sides had initially engaged in discussions aimed at easing political tensions, with the goal of reaching a resolution on these major concerns. After two rounds of talks, a third meeting was held on January 16, where PTI formally submitted its demands in writing. However, despite weeks of dialogue, there has been minimal advancement on the core issues.

The PTI has repeatedly called for the formation of judicial commissions to investigate specific incidents, while also pushing for the release of party prisoners.