ISLAMABAD: Although the government and opposition made some progress in their negotiations, the ruling coalition and the PTI were unable to agree on the dialogue’s modalities, with “unmonitored” access to Imran Khan emerging as a new point of contention after an agreement on the submission of written demands.
PTI interim chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said Wednesday that the party founder has given them permission to submit their requests in writing to the government negotiation committee, as was decided upon during the initial round of negotiations, following a meeting with Imran Khan in Adiala jail.
Although NA Opposition Leader Omar Ayub demanded a meeting that was not “monitored by intelligence agencies,” the PTI leaders voiced concerns on the “monitored” meeting with the party founder in Adiala jail.
“The confidentiality and integrity of our discussions are compromised by the fact that our current meetings with Imran Khan are taking place in a cramped space that is furnished with cameras and listening devices,” Mr. Ayub stated. This circumstance is intolerable and compromises our capacity for effective and unrestricted communication.
Senator Irfan Siddiqui, the spokesperson for the government committee, objected to this demand, claiming that the PTI had made the meeting with its founder challenging and conditional.
“They (PTI leaders) want their meeting with Imran Khan in an open space without any surveillance and jail officials,” Senator Irfan Siddiqui told Dawn. Laws and the jail handbook may not allow such circumstances.
He stated that the government team had promised the PTI leaders that they would be able to meet with Imran Khan in the jail. However, he asked how many other people would want to meet Mr. Khan if Barrister Gohar met him in the jail on Wednesday.
“The PTI’s negotiation team was established on December 5th, about 40 days ago, but I don’t believe it has finished its work yet,” he continued. He added that the bargaining process had been further damaged by Mr. Khan’s latest tweet in which he attacked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The offer of a NA speaker
In response to criticism from the PTI about the jail meeting, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq declared that he was prepared to resign from his position as chairman of the negotiation committee.
He stated that in order to preserve the impartiality and integrity of the speaker’s office, he was prepared to take into consideration a request from PTI leaders that he should leave the negotiation process. However, Barrister Gohar expressed confidence in Mr. Sadiq, stating that the speaker was able to have a fruitful conversation.
The speaker stated in a statement that he was only acting as a facilitator during the negotiations and that setting up a meeting with the party’s founding chairman was not part of his mandate or obligation.
He was disappointed by reports that attempts to get in touch with the speaker’s office were not well accepted. He said that he has never turned down a meeting with a National Assembly member. The speaker emphasized that setting up meetings was not hampered by his departure from the nation. He said that he is always willing to help make these kinds of agreements.
There is no pressure on the government to free Imran Khan from prison, according to PM’s assistant Rana Sanaullah. “They (PTI) have already met Imran, but then they said they want to talk to him again in a proper manner to get written demands,” he stated during a press conference.
The commission of judges
Imran Khan, the founder of the PTI, stated separately that if the next round of discussions did not include the creation of a judicial commission to look into the events that occurred on May 9 and November 26, the former ruling party will withdraw from the negotiations.
The premier called for a “transparent investigation” of the two crackdowns, according to a transcript of a chat between Mr. Khan and his legal team in Adiala jail that was shared on the PTI founder’s X account.
It should be mentioned that the PTI leader who is detained is unable to access his social media accounts.
“The government is not taking my fair and lawful demands seriously. Despite my legal right, I am not permitted to meet the members of my party. The message uploaded on his account stated, “We will not continue with the negotiation process if the government does not establish a judicial commission in the next meeting.”
Additionally, the statement claimed that some PTI supporters had vanished after November 26 and that the government was not making any effort to find them.
“We established a committee today to address the missing persons issue, and lawyer Qazi Anwar will serve as its head,” he stated.
