Daily Times

The negotiation committee of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has set January 31, 2025 timeframe for the ongoing negotiations with the government to reach a “logical conclusion”, reiterating the demands of judicial probe into May 9 riots and November 26 late-night crackdown and release of “political prisoners”.

“PTI founder [Imran Khan] is ready to forgive everyone for all the ill-treatment he has suffered for the sake of Pakistan,” Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza said while speaking to journalists after meeting the incarcerated former prime minister. The PTI negotiators briefed Imran on the first round of talks, held on Monday, and consulted him on future strategy, sources told the media. After months of heightened political tensions, the embattled former ruling party and the government finally held their first round of dialogue this week.

The inaugural meeting, on the government’s part, was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, PM’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, PPP leaders Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Naveed Qamar, and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Farooq Sattar. Whereas, the PTI was represented by former NA Speaker Asad Qaiser, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza, and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Allama Raja Nasir Abbas.

The two sides are set to hold the second session on January 2, when the PTI will present its demands before the government panel in written.

The government-PTI talks are being held in the wake of the former ruling party’s announcement of a civil disobedience movement if their demands of release of all political prisoners – including Khan – and the formation of a judicial commission for investigating the May 9 riots and the November 26 incident, go unmet.

The jailed former prime minister had last month called on his supporters to launch the anti-government movement by withholding remittances in the first phase.

Talking to the media, Hamid Raza castigated the authorities for subjecting the PTI workers and supporters to torture, violating the sanctity of chadar and chardiwari of parliamentarians, and stealing the party’s mandate on February 8 – the day general elections took place in the country.

“Therefore, the first phase of civil disobedience movement, ‘boycott of remittances’, would continue,” he noted.

Secondly, he said, the timeframe for the ongoing negotiations with the government is Jan 31, adding that they want to take the talks to a logical conclusion before the cutoff time. “Omar Ayub, who is leading the negotiation process, would apprise the government committee of the timeframe on Jan 2,” he added.

Furthermore, he said, Imran was ready to forgive the ill-treatments he suffered, including the assassination attempt, for the sake of Pakistan.

Speaking of the Kurram issue, Hamid said, Imran held extensive talks with KP CM Gandapur and MWM chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and emphasised that the matter should be resolved quickly.

He reiterated the PTI’s demands, saying that the opposite side blamed the former ruling party for orchestrating the riots. “However, we categorically deny the allegations […] Therefore, a judicial commission should be established to impartially probe the events and CCTV footage should be brought to the fore,” he added.

Raza claimed that some “specific elements” were inciting the May 9 protesters to move towards “specific targets”. Referring to Nov 26 protest, he also demanded a judicial investigation into the crackdown saying that 13 protesters were confirmed dead while 64 others sustained bullet injuries.

Lastly, the SIC chief said, they do not want Imran’s release “as a result of the deal”. “We want the release of PTI founder in accordance with the law and Consitution,” he added. The first round of talks ended with the government accepting the former ruling party’s demand to consult its incarcerated party founder who has been behind bars in Adiala Jail for over a year.

Separately, Imran Khan has acknowledged that the current government has managed to stabilise Pakistan’s struggling economy, which was on the verge of collapse.

While speaking to the media from Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, Imran stated, “The government has successfully prevented the economy from becoming bankrupt.” When questioned by journalists about whether he was conceding that the government had improved the economy, Imran responded, “The economy has been stabilised, and it has been saved from bankruptcy, but it has not seen growth yet.”