Negotiations between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the government have stalled as the former ruling party has yet to meet jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Adiala Jail. PTI is refraining from submitting a written ‘Charter of Demand’ until it can consult with Khan.
The negotiating committee was expected to meet Khan today (Monday) for the third round of discussions, but this has not yet occurred. Despite PTI Chairman Gohar Khan’s recommendation for the committee to present a written draft, the committee has not yet made any decisions.
Two rounds of negotiations between PTI’s and the government’s committees have taken place, but neither has produced any results. PTI committee member Asad Qaiser argued that the verbal demands presented in these meetings should be treated as written demands, calling the submission of a formal document merely a procedural formality.
The deadlock has led to uncertainty over when the next round of negotiations will take place. PTI lawyers have formally requested a meeting between the negotiating committee and Khan, asking the Adiala Jail superintendent to grant the committee access on Tuesday (tomorrow), rather than the lawyers. As of the time of reporting, the jail administration had not responded to the request.
The application emphasized that the meeting between the seven-member negotiating committee and Imran Khan should be conducted in an “open environment.”
Last week, PTI was unable to present its ‘Charter of Demands’ during the second round of talks with the government in Islamabad, citing the need for a meeting with Khan to finalize the demands.
The negotiations began after a week of heightened political tensions, with the first meeting between the government and PTI committees taking place on December 23. That meeting concluded with the understanding that PTI would present its demands to the government, which would review and forward them to the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed a committee of ruling coalition members, while Khan established a five-member committee from PTI to engage in talks. Since Khan’s imprisonment last year on various charges, relations between PTI, the government, and the military have worsened, leading to protests that at times turned violent.
As part of efforts to ease tensions, both parties have been negotiating, with PTI setting a January 31 deadline to finalize talks. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar indicated that the government would accommodate PTI’s request to present its demands after consulting Khan. He expressed hope that the dialogue could continue with a formal document.
