ISLAMABAD: Ayaz Sadiq, speaker of the lower house of Pakistan’s parliament, has summoned an in-camera meeting of negotiation teams of the government and the opposition on Jan. 2, the National Assembly Secretariat said on Monday, amid efforts to ease prolonged political tensions in the country.
The development came a week after the government and the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of former prime minister Imran Khan held the first round of formal negotiations on Dec. 23, with the PTI asked to present its demands in writing at the next session.
Representative of the government coalition attend the committee meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan, on December 23, 2024. (X/@NAofPakistan/File)
Khan’s ouster in a parliamentary no-trust vote in 2022 has plunged Pakistan into a political crisis, particularly since the PTI founder was jailed in August last year on corruption and other charges and remains behind bars. His party and supporters have regularly held protests calling for his release, with many of the demonstrations turning violent.
“The Honorable Speaker, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, will chair a 2nd meeting (in-camera) on negotiations between Treasury and Opposition on Thursday, the 2nd of January, 2025,” the National Assembly Secretariat said in a notification on Monday.
Khan previously rejected talks with the government, saying his party would only talk to the “real powerbrokers” in Pakistan, the all-powerful army, but earlier this month he set up a negotiating committee of top party members to open a dialogue with the government for the fulfilment of two demands: the release of political prisoners and the establishment of judicial commissions to investigate protests on May 9 last year and Nov. 26 this year, which the government says involved his party supporters, accusing them of attacking military installations and government buildings.
Asad Qaiser (left), member of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, speaks during the committee meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan, on December 23, 2024. (X/@NAofPakistan/File)
The talks opened days after Khan threatened a civil dissidence movement and amid growing concerns he may face trial by a military court for allegedly inciting attacks on sensitive security installations during the May 9 protests.
Sadiq last week said the first round of talks were held in a “cordial” environment, calling them vital to end “political polarization” in the country.
“Since some members of the opposition could not join the talks today, we have decided to hold the next meeting on Jan. 2,” he said on Dec. 23. “The opposition will also present a charter of demands in the meeting.”
Speaking to the media after the talks, Khan’s close aide, Asad Qaiser, said the PTI team had asked the government to release all political prisoners, including the former prime minister, and form a judicial commission, comprising senior Supreme Court judges, to probe the May 9 and Nov. 26 protests.
“We should be allowed to hold a meeting with Imran Khan,” Qaiser said. “He is our leader. We will move forward with his instructions.”
The negotiations came days after Pakistan’s military announced prison sentences for 25 people involved in the May 9 protests, which PTI has demanded be investigated. The PTI has also repeatedly said it fears the government and military will try Khan in army courts for the May 9 violence. He is already being tried for the violence in a civilian court.
