ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has finalized its charter of demands ahead of negotiations with the government, as political rivals appear to be getting closer to the talks table, it emerged on Wednesday.
According to insiders, the PTI negotiation committee formulated the demands after consulting with the party leadership, ensuring that they aligned with the directives of the party’s founding president Imran Khan.
The letter is reported to be concise and contains only two key demands.
The first demand seeks the release of all political prisoners, while the second calls for the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the incidents of May 9 and November 26. All members of the PTI negotiation committee will participate in today’s meeting.
Meanwhile, the speaker of the National Assembly confirmed that the schedule of the joint meeting of the government and opposition negotiating committees has been rescheduled.
The meeting, initially scheduled for 11:30 a.m., will now take place at 3:30 p.m. at the request of the partners. National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq will preside over today’s session.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif urged PTI leaders to work for national interest and avoid attacking the country’s security institutions in future. “The PTI found that there were riots on May 9 and this practice must be stopped in future,” he said in statements to a private television channel.
Responding to a question on dialogue with the opposition, the minister revealed that the government has initiated a dialogue process with the PTI in the interest of national interest.
“Despite the political instability created by the PTI leaders since 2018, we have managed to reduce inflation,” the minister said.
He said that Pakistan’s economy was improving day by day due to the continuous struggle of the incumbent government.
There must be political stability in the country so that the government can achieve its economic and export objectives adequately.
Replying to a question about intervention of foreign countries in Pakistan’s internal affairs, he said, no one can impose orders on us regarding the country’s defense matters.
“Pakistan has full right to use all available resources to meet defense needs,” he added.
Similarly, PML-N senator Irfan-ul-Haque Siddiqui said a debate would be held after receiving demands from the opposition party.
“We will consult with coalition partners and PML-N leadership on the PTI’s letter of demands (CoD),” he said while talking to a private television channel. Legal help can also be sought in the PTI CoD matter, he added.
Responding to a question about the May 9 and November 26 judicial commission, he said that the government will seek legal assistance regarding the issues that occurred in the May 9 and November 26 riots.
He added that duties will also be completed before taking decisions and reviewing the demands of the PTI leadership.
