Imprisoned PTI founder Imran Khan stated on Tuesday that he must meet with his negotiating team to fully comprehend the challenges if he wants the PTI government negotiations to produce significant outcomes.
The relationship between Imran’s party and the government and establishment has deteriorated significantly since his imprisonment last year due to multiple instances. The PTI has staged a number of demonstrations in the past year, most of which turned violent in response to governmental persecution.
After the PTI’s “Final Call” power show last month, tensions increased as task teams were established to combat an alleged “malicious campaign,” and calls to outlaw the party were repeated. The PTI also claimed that a dozen of its followers had died, a claim the government formally disputes.
Imran’s members, however, took a more lenient stance in the house after he established a five-member committee to negotiate with “anyone.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif then established a committee last week with members of the ruling coalition in response to National Assembly (NA) Speaker Ayaz Sadiq’s suggestion. Yesterday’s first committee meeting marked the beginning of long-awaited PTI government negotiations between the opposing parties to ease current political tensions.
The former premier, who described the party’s negotiation committee’s efforts as a “good thing,” stated today that it was crucial for him to “meet the negotiation team to make the process meaningful and for him to have a proper understanding of the issues” in a post on his official X account after speaking with his lawyers.
Imran proposed MNA Sahibzada Mohammad Hamid Raza to serve as the party’s negotiation committee spokesperson.
He stated that the government must release political detainees awaiting trial and form a judicial committee made up of prominent judges to investigate the events of May 9 and November 26 if it hopes to engage in “fruitful negotiations.”
If the demands were fulfilled, Imran stated that the party would put its civil disobedience campaign on hold; nonetheless, he voiced his concern that the government would ignore their need for a judicial commission.
The military tribunals’ ruling, in which 25 people received sentences ranging from two to ten years for their roles in violent attacks on military posts during the May 9, 2023, countrywide riots, was also rejected by him.
Duration of the negotiation
After meeting with Imran, PTI Chairman Gohar Khan spoke to the media outside the Adiala Jail and claimed that the former premier had demanded a timeline for the talks that would allow for some progress.
“We have previously stated that we anticipate some progress on our two main demands within the anticipated time frame,” he stated.
He stated that at the upcoming meeting with the government, the party would deliver its charter of demands. However, the party was attempting to meet Imran with the negotiation committee before to that.
Gohar stated, “Imran Khan has expressed his hope that a solution will be found for all issues.”
The PTI chairman went on to say that all of the accusations made against the PTI founder were political in nature and expressed his optimism that the former premier would be found not guilty in each instance “if a fair trial took place.
In response to the question of why not all committee members attended yesterday’s meeting, Gohar confirmed that all committee members will attend the next meeting and provide written demands.
