LAHORE:
PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah has announced that the government was willing to accommodate the PTI’s demand for a deadline in the ongoing negotiations after the former ruling party demanded a definite deadline.
Speaking to a private news channel the other day, Sanaullah said the government was prepared to consider such a request. “If they want to set a schedule, they can do so, because then the meetings will be held according to that schedule,” said the prime minister’s political advisor.
However, he clarified: “It will not be true that we accept all the demands presented to us and vice versa. Therefore, going back and forth on each point and demand, as well as finding common ground, will inevitably take time.”
Sanaullah said there was no urgency on the part of the government to accelerate the talks. “On our part there is no such thing as this has to be done immediately or that conversations have to happen daily,” he said.
“But if you want this to come to a quick result, then there will be no resistance from our side. You can say whatever you need and then we will present our position to you,” he added.
The PTI’s relations with the government and the establishment have seriously deteriorated in several cases since Imran Khan’s imprisonment last year. The party has frequently organized protests, which often turned violent amid state repressive measures.
Tensions peaked last month after the PTI’s “Final Call” rally, which sparked calls to ban the party and spurred the formation of task forces to counter alleged “malicious campaigns.” The PTI claims that at least a dozen of its followers were killed during this period, a claim the government denies.
In response to the agitation, Imran Khan formed a five-member committee to hold talks with “anyone”, indicating a softening stance among PTI lawmakers. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on the advice of National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, formed a committee comprising members of the ruling coalition to collaborate with the PTI.
The first round of dialogue was held on Monday, marking the start of the long-awaited negotiations. It was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Prime Minister’s Advisor Rana Sanaullah, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, PPP leaders Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Naveed Qamar, and MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar.
The PTI delegation included former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Sunni Ittehad Council Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas.
The talks concluded with the government agreeing to consult the jailed PTI founder, who has been imprisoned in Adiala jail for over a year. The PTI is now set to present its demands in writing in the next round of talks, scheduled for January 2.
After a meeting with Imran Khan in Adiala jail, Barrister Gohar told reporters that the PTI founder has insisted on a deadline to advance the party’s demands. “There should be progress on our demands within [a specified] deadline,” Gohar said. The talks come after the PTI announced last month that it would launch a civil disobedience movement if its demands were not met.
