ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said on Sunday that it was ready to hold a third round of talks with the government, following a meeting of PTI members and allies with the jailed ex-premier.
Khan’s ouster in a parliamentary no-trust vote in 2022 has plunged Pakistan into a political crisis, particularly since he was jailed in August 2023 on corruption and other charges. His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has regularly held protests to demand his release, with many of the demonstrations turning violent.
The two sides kicked off negotiations last month and have held two rounds of talks to end the political deadlock, but have failed to make a headway. The PTI and the government’s last round of talks on Jan. 2 ended inconclusively after Khan’s party demanded more time to meet and consult the ex-PM before submitting its demands.
Speaking to media after meeting Khan at Rawalpindi’s Adiala prison on Sunday, Hamid Raza, a Khan ally who was flanked by PTI’s Omar Ayub and Asad Qaiser, said they had informed the government’s team that they were ready for the third round of talks.
“We will talk about nitty gritty of judicial commission and on those things. The release of prisoners is part of our main demands,” he said. “If the judicial commission is not formed, then the process of negotiations will not proceed.”
Khan’s party has stated two demands: the release of all political prisoners and the establishment of judicial commissions to investigate protests on May 9, 2023, and Nov. 26, 2024, which the government says involved Khan supporters, accusing them of attacking military installations and government buildings.
The Pakistani government has said that it facilitated Khan’s party by arranging meetings with the ex-premier in jail, but the PTI remained “indecisive” about formalizing its demands despite written assurances made in joint declarations issued after previous two rounds of talks between both sides.
“If the PTI does not submit its demands in writing as promised, the negotiation process may face serious hurdles,” Senator Irfan Siddiqui, a member of the government’s negotiation committee, said this month.
The two sides held the first round of talks on Dec. 23, days after Khan threatened a civil disobedience movement, and amid growing concerns he may face trial by a military court for allegedly inciting attacks on sensitive security installations during the May 9, 2023 protests.
Raza reiterated that Jan. 31 was the final date for them to wrap up talks with the government.
“If you are to take the talks to a logical conclusion, then demonstrate your decision-making power, form commission, so that we may move ahead,” he added.
Ex-PM Khan party says ready for third round of talks with Pakistan government, reiterates demands
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Ex-PM Khan party says ready for third round of talks with Pakistan government, reiterates demands

- The Pakistani government says Khan’s party remained ‘indecisive’ about formalizing demands despite written assurances
- Khan’s ouster in 2022 has plunged Pakistan into a political crisis and both sides opened talks last month to end the deadlock