National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has said that neither the opposition nor the government has contacted him to convene a meeting of the negotiating committees.
Sadiq added that he is ready to schedule the meeting at short notice if both sides request it, Express News reported.
He added that the meeting could be called within a day or two, but so far neither party had contacted him.
He also clarified that it is not his responsibility to organize a meeting between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) negotiating committee members and the party’s founding president Imran Khan. He added that the government and its allies should decide whether the meeting can take place.
He claimed that during a phone call on January 4, he had informed Asad Qaiser that he had conveyed the PTI’s meeting request to the government.
He added that PTI leaders could also hold direct talks with Rana Sanaullah or senior government officials if necessary.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur had earlier said that a meeting between the PTI founder and the government’s negotiating committee had been delayed due to National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq’s absence from the country.
Now that Sadiq has returned, Gandapur said the meeting is expected soon, adding that individual talks are underway with Khan.
After months of escalating political tensions, the coalition government and the PTI began a dialogue last month. The PTI’s preliminary demands included the release of all “political prisoners” and a judicial inquiry into the events of May 9 and November 26.
During the second round of talks chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, the PTI sought more frequent access to Imran Khan to finalize a “charter of demands”.
