NA speaker : Govt, allies to decide on Imran’s meeting with PTI negotiators
Neither side has approached for third round of talks: Ayaz Sadiq.
Not responsible for arranging meeting with Khan, says speaker.
He adds that the onus of said issue fell on the government.
ISLAMABAD: Amid continuing uncertainty surrounding the much-hyped dialogue between the Pakistan Tehkreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the government, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has said that the government and its allies are to decide on the issue of the meeting between the PTI and its jailed founder Imran Khan.
Noting that neither side had approached him for a third round of talks which he could convene on a couple of days’ notice, Sadiq said that he was not responsible for facilitating the meeting between the PTI’s committee and Khan and that this onus fell on the government.
“I told Asad Qaiser on January 4 that their demand to meet the PTI founder has been communicated to the government. The PTI leaders can contact Rana Sanaullah and other government officials directly as well [in this regard],” remarked the NA speaker.
His remarks come as the two sides, after months of political tensions, finally initiated the negotiations in the wake of the existing political polarization.
Although, two rounds of talks were held on December 27, 2024, and on January 2, 2025, the third session has not been called owing to the PTI’s inability to present a written charter of demand — which the former ruling party has conditioned with meeting Khan who has been behind bars at Adiala jail for over a year.
Apart from calling for the release of political prisoners and a judicial probe into the events of the May 9, 2023 and November 26 crackdown, the PTI is also demanding the release of “political prisoners”.
Although the former prime minister has given the go-ahead to hold a third round of talks even if the PTI leaders are not allowed to meet him, he is of the view that talks cannot progress further if the party’s negotiators are now allowed to meet him.
While PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar said that the party would present its demands in writing, Sanaullah, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs, had blamed the “pause” in the parleys on NA Speaker Sadiq’s foreign visit.
Furthermore, amid PTI’s warning that the dialogue process could collapse if a judicial commission was not formed after the third session of negotiations, the PM’s aide has hinted at the possibility of relocating Khan to concerns over security or health.