PM Shehbaz forms negotiation committee for talks with PTI

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday formed a negotiation committee comprising members of the government coalition to hold talks with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), Radio Pakistan reported.

The committee includes Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Advisor to Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Syed Naveed Qamar, Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Aleem Khan and Chaudhry Salik Hussain.

Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had proposed the formation of committee to the Prime Minister following his interaction with Chairman PTI Barrister Gauhar last night.

Imran sets up team for talks with govt: Omar

Barrister Gauhar had emphasized holding talks and asked the Speaker National Assembly to play his role in this regard.

The Prime Minister commended the role of Speaker National Assembly and expressed the hope that national security and interest will be prioritized.

PTI founder Imran Khan, currently imprisoned in Adiala Jail, recently constituted a negotiation committee comprising Asad Qaiser, Omar Ayub, Salman Akram Raja, Ali Amin Gandapur and Hamid Raza to initiate talks with the government.

Omar Ayub said last week that the primary agenda of the negotiation committee is to secure the release of detained PTI workers.

Khawaja Asif calls PTI’s decision to begin talks with govt ‘positive change’

“PTI has formed a committee for talks but the government is not serious in this regard as it has not even provided access to the members of the PTI’s committee to meet Imran Khan”, the opposition leader said while talking to reporters after appearing before a local court in cases registered against him in connection with PTI’s November 24 protest.

Earlier, defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif described the former premier Imran Khan’s party’s hint to start discussions as a “positive change”, but he reiterated that the government and the PTI had not yet started formal talks.

“There has been a great deal of hostility in the National Assembly in recent years,” Khawaja Asif told the house, adding that attempts should be taken to calm the political situation.