The leader of the opposition in the National Assembly (AN), Omar Ayub, explained this Tuesday why he did not participate in the negotiations with the coalition government.
Speaking outside the Peshawar High Court (PHC), during a court appearance, Omar Ayub stated that he was attending hearings related to cases filed against him under Form 47. “I was in the Peshawar High Court yesterday, so I couldn’t participate. in the negotiations,” he said.
Omar Ayub criticized the media and said: “A newspaper published a big news story stating that I did not go to negotiate. I ask the media to verify things a little more. We are hopeful that the negotiations will be successful.”
The APS later granted Omar Ayub a one-month transit bond. Justice Ejaz Anwar presided over the hearing on Omar Ayub’s transit bail applications.
The petitioner’s lawyer, Alam Khan Adeenzai, informed the court that the petitioner is the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly and cases have been registered against him.
Omar Ayub, addressing the court, said: “There are many cases and it is difficult to appear everywhere. I am also a member of the negotiating committee, which requires my presence. “This court had granted me bail earlier, but I was still arrested.”
The court commented: “Okay, we will give you time.” To this, Omar Ayub asked: “Please give me a month’s time.”
The court agreed, stating: “We are giving it time. By then you should appear before the respective courts.”
Previously Omar Ayub said that the party is evaluating the government’s intentions in the newly formed negotiation committee, when talks between both sides began.
“Today is the first round of negotiations; We will see what happens,” Omar Ayub told reporters outside the court.
“We will also evaluate the government’s sincerity in this process.”
Omar Ayub clarified that there had been no recent meetings between the PTI negotiation team and the party founder, and stressed that any perceived disagreements were unfounded.
Talks between the government and the PTI spark new hopes
In a bid to cool the political heat, the ruling coalition led by the PML-N and the PTI broke the ice on Monday and finally came to the table to untangle the knots that have kept the nation in a political deadlock.
The PTI leadership verbally presented its demands to the ruling coalition during the inaugural session held in Parliament under the chairmanship of National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. The talks have laid the groundwork for future discussions, with the next round scheduled for January 2.
The PTI delegation, led by former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, included Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) president Sahibzada Hamid Raza and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas.
However, the absence of key PTI heavyweights, including opposition leader Omar Ayub, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and general secretary Salman Akram Raja, did not go unnoticed.
His absence was reportedly due to court commitments and international travel.
