ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Sunday declined to address the charter of demands presented by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) prior to January 28, the date set for the next round of discussions.
The PTI is advocating for the formation of judicial commissions to ensure the continuation of negotiations.
“In accordance with the agreed-upon communique, no response will be provided before the seven-day deadline...we will address PTI’s request for judicial commissions during the upcoming talks [January 28],” stated PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui, who also the spokesperson for the government’s negotiation committee, while speaking to reporters.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan indicated that the ongoing discussions had been suspended.
The PTI had previously “called off” the negotiation process, citing the government’s “non-cooperation” and delays in establishing judicial commissions to investigate the violent protests of May 9, 2023, as well as the crackdown on party demonstrators in Islamabad on November 26, 2024.
For nearly a month, the PTI and the ruling coalition have been engaged in discussions aimed at alleviating political tensions in the country, having conducted three rounds of talks thus far.
The dialogue process encountered difficulties as PTI said that they would only participate in the fourth round of discussions if the government proceeded with the formation of the judicial commission.
In contrast, the ruling alliance has indicated that they will provide a written response to PTI’s request in the next round of negotiations.
However, just a day prior, PTI founder Imran Khan called for a meeting with his party’s negotiation committee, with sources suggesting that a definitive position regarding the negotiations would be established following this meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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