Daily Times

It is quite evident that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has been forced to boycott or pull out of the talks due to the government’s lack of seriousness. Both sides went into three rounds of negotiations, and every time, the PTI came out pressing for their most basic demand: the formation of judicial commissions to investigate the May 9 and November 26 incidents. First, the government created the impression that the PTI wanted to have talks only for concessions. It asked for every demand in writing as if the talks were meant for discussion on demand literature.

PTI presented its demands in writing on January 16 and seven working days to the government to provide a formal response. The deadline, however, passed without any meaningful progress. The party’s leadership, including Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, expressed frustration over the government’s attitude, labelling it as insincere and dismissive.

The PTI chairman criticised the government for wasting time and failing to address even simple demands like announcing the formation of the judicial commissions. He remarked that the government’s refusal to engage constructively showed a clear disregard for the spirit of dialogue.

What added to the tensions is that the government passed eight laws within 11 minutes during a parliamentary session, bypassing any substantive debate or consideration of the president’s objections. PTI leaders termed this move a blatant mockery of legislative processes, further straining the prospects of meaningful negotiations.

Senator Irfan Siddiqui, representing the government, urged PTI to reconsider its decision and continue the dialogue process. He assured that the coalition parties were close to reaching a consensus on PTI’s demands. However, PTI leaders viewed these statements as hollow and insufficient to address their grievances.

The PTI’s withdrawal speaks volumes about the government’s inability to create a conducive environment for dialogue. Negotiations cannot succeed if one side consistently delays responses and avoids taking responsibility. The collapse of talks highlights the pressing need for genuine efforts from the government to restore trust.

If the government is serious about lowering political tensions, it must take immediate steps to revive the dialogue process. Meeting PTI’s core demands, particularly the formation of judicial commissions could pave the way for renewed discussions and political stability. *