The PTI demanded on Tuesday that the government allow unhindered access to party founder Imran Khan for meetings devoid of any surveillance amid ongoing talks to bring down the political temperature.
Since Imran’s incarceration last year in several cases, PTI’s relations with the government and the establishment have deteriorated sharply, marked by protests that frequently escalated into violence amid state repression.
Following the turmoil, Imran established a five-member committee to hold talks with “anyone”, signalling a shift in PTI lawmakers’ stance in parliament. In response, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also formed a committee with ruling coalition members.
The first meeting between the two sides took place on December 23, while the second one occurred on January 2. So far, the two sides have not made significant headway, as the PTI leadership sought frequent meetings with Imran to finalise their list of demands. The government and the opposition will meet again, possibly this week.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad today with other party leaders, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the party had “still not received any information about a meeting scheduled with Imran.”
He added that the negotiations should not be delayed in this manner.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan said, “We submitted a demand during our last meeting with the government to let us meet Imran Khan in an unmonitored and unfettered way, in which there is no monitoring of intelligence agencies.”
He said the present conditions of the room in Adiala Jail where meetings with Imran took place were “not conducive to free and open talks.”
“The government’s seriousness regarding the negotiations will be seen by enabling our meeting in an unrestricted environment by giving unfettered access to Imran because we will take our instructions from there.”
